


Lily and Thistle

by paws_bells



Category: Bleach
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, General, Humor, Romance, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-29
Updated: 2017-12-07
Packaged: 2017-12-21 17:58:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 149,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/903177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paws_bells/pseuds/paws_bells
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Feels Like The First Time

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2420

**Rating:** M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 15/07/13

**Completed on:** 15/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 23/07/13

 

* * *

**Feels Like The First Time**

* * *

 

When Hiyori finally regained herself, her heart pounding madly in her chest and her senses completely overcome by pleasure, the first thing she saw was her lover’s handsome, angular face, his heavy lidded golden eyes watching her with lazy desire and masculine attentiveness as she slowly recovered from her earlier incredible, earth shattering orgasm.

 

She was momentarily taken aback by his close proximity to her, still not used to their newfound intimacy with each other, and she promptly froze. Her passion flushed face reddened further; they were both stark naked and had just consummated their relationship for the very first time, and now that the deed was done, the petite blonde felt extremely vulnerable and embarrassed, like an animal whose unprotected underbelly had just been completely exposed – coincidentally to the same man who had known her for most of her afterlife and witnessed all of her worst moments. Her body was still trembling like a leaf in the aftermath of her very first sexual experience; she felt so bare and sensitive and incredibly aware of her own femininity at the same time, and in stark contrast, Shinji’s overwhelming maleness only served to accentuate the strange feelings of tenderness and uncertain weakness that welled in her.

 

Hiyori was extremely unaccustomed to experiencing such disconcerting sentiments, and not surprisingly, now that her overwhelming lust and sexual frustrations were momentarily sated, she was feeling very alarmed by her unstable emotions. She had gone completely stiff by then, but her golden-haired lover chuckled lowly and just pulled her closer, intent to demonstrate his affection for as much as she was willing to let him. She was such a prickly little thing most of the time, and even though he privately found her touchy temperament endearing, this seldom seen, docile side of her was rather charming as well.

 

However, before he could do anything else, in typical Hiyori fashion, she quickly reacted to her awkwardness by trying to isolate herself from the situation causing her such unease in the first place. Abruptly, she squirmed out of his arms in an effort to distance herself, pushing away from him with near frantic agitation. She blushed further when her struggles swiftly reminded her that they were still intimately joined together in sexual congress, and then her panic grew. All but clawing her way out from under him now, she finally separated from him and quickly made a wild gambit for freedom.

 

“Hiyori!” Shinji protested, making a swift grab for her and missing, not expecting that she would suddenly choose to flee, of all things. He quickly sat up from the nest of blankets, his lean, sleekly muscular form tensing in preparation for pursuit – she was going to be in for a big surprise if she thought he was going to let her run off after this – but his little monkey did not go far.

 

She barely managed a single step before her legs abruptly gave out on her, and the petite female spilled clumsily onto the floor, stunned by how her body had just betrayed her. Shinji leaned over the edge of the bed to look down at her, and she appeared completely bewildered at she stared at her trembling limbs.

 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, immediately alarmed. After all, it had been less than a month since she had fully recovered from the near deadly injury that Ichimaru Gin had dealt her, and he had every right to be concerned.

 

Her current condition had nothing to do with her past injury however, and everything to do with the activity that she had just participated in with him.

  
“My legs…have gone wobbly,” she confessed slowly at last, and it didn’t take him long to figure out what had happened, judging by the growing smirk and the look of pride on his face.

 

“It was that good for you, huh, brat?” he drawled amusedly, relaxing once again since it was obvious that she was not going anywhere for now.

 

Hiyori spluttered and glared death at the overly smug man who was going to die once she recovered from this utterly embarrassing predicament. “Don’t get so full of yourself, you damn perverted baldy!” she barked angrily then, bristling with annoyance and defensiveness, but she was promptly ignored. In no great hurry, he rose from the bed with a lazy grace that she could only wish she possessed, his languidly elegant movements almost mesmerizing to behold, never mind that, like her, he was unashamedly and unabashedly nude at the moment.

 

He crouched before her, a slight smile quirking his lips, but his golden eyes were steady and intent, sweeping over her small, incredibly self-conscious form with quiet possessiveness and masculine satisfaction. Affection and contentment were also prevalent in his tender gaze – she belonged wholly to him now, and he would never forget how sweetly she had surrendered herself to him. Propping his chin up with the palm of his hand, he asked with deceptive mildness:

 

“Do you wanna come back to bed, or are you gonna just continue ta’ sit on the cold floor like that?”

 

She glowered at him, bristling. “Leave me alone, hentai yarou!”

 

“I don’t think ya have the right ta’ call me that, Hiyori,” he murmured, amusement evident in his tone. “Not when you were the one who jumped me first, if I recall correctly.”

 

She flushed at the reminder, and then she bit her lip uncertainly, her little fang showing prominently, her eyes darting everywhere but at him, looking so vulnerable at the moment that it was hard to believe this was the same fiercely proud and aggressively passionate woman who held his heart. It was _adorable_ , this side of her.

 

Without waiting for her reply, he reached out and scooped her into his arms; he was always disconcerted when he was reminded that she was so tiny – her ferocious spirit had always made her seem larger than life to him. She quickly tensed, but he easily circumvented her impending explosion by lowering his head and kissing the side of her neck. She trembled, and he smiled inwardly – she was so sensitive.

 

“C’mon, Sweetheart,” he told her. “Back to bed.”  
  
She wasted no time smacking him over the head then. “Don’t call me Sweetheart!” she yelled, puffing up with indignation all over again. “Is there something wrong with your fuckin’ head, hage Shinji?!! Do I look like one of those stupid bimbos you’re always sweet talkin’??”

 

He put up with her abuse like he always did, setting her back down amongst the blankets before joining her. She was still being very…fighty though, but he ignored her struggles and pulled her close. “Alright, let’s call a truce,” he announced then. “We need ta’ talk, so stop being so ornery for a second, brat.”

 

She stiffened at the ‘talk’ part. If anything, her movements grew even more frantic. “There’s nothin’ to talk ‘bout,” she burst out quickly. “We just had s-s-sex, big deal!!” she stuttered with false bravado. “I was just curious and this is only a onetime thing; don’t get too ahead of yerself, shithead!!”

“What happened to wanting to be a virgin bride, hm?” he asked her flat out. She sputtered.

 

“I changed my mind, alright!” she snapped. “I don’t wanna die a virgin when the next megalomaniac comes around trying to destroy the worlds again!”

 

He was immediately upset by her reply, but for the reason that she least expected. “You aren’t gonna die,” he snapped back. “You’re gonna live till you become an old and saggy midget hag; I’ll personally make sure of that.”  
  
She grabbed fistfuls of his hair and started to pull none too gently then, immediately incensed by his words. “How dare you call a lady a hag, asshole!! Don’t think that you’re some hotshot just ‘cause I gave my virginity to you!”

 

“Precisely.” He rolled her under him and kept her in place, pinning her with his weight and pushing his knee in between her legs, stunning her with his speed. “You gave me your virginity, so that means you’re stuck with me now.”  
  
She froze and gawked at him in disbelief. “Wha??”

 

“Yeah, you heard right,” he repeated unflappably and calmly. “You. Are stuck. With me. For the rest of your life, brat.”

 

She looked utterly gob smacked by his words, but he just continued unperturbedly. “And don’t kid yourself, luv. This isn’t gonna be just a ‘onetime’ thing like you so nicely put it. You and I, we have a few decades’ worth of sexual tension to work through, so we might as well start now.”  
  
“Don’t call me ‘luv!’” She punched his shoulder hard, but he didn’t even flinch. “Lemme go, perverted baldy!! It doesn’t work that way!”

 

“Doesn’t it?” he asked, deadpan. “Tell me, do you regret what we just did?”

 

“Yes!” she barked immediately, scowling at him. ”I’m regrettin’!! I’m definitely regretting now!”

 

He studied her agitated features with narrowed eyes, and at last, he just shook his head.

 

“You suck at lying,” he told her simply, and she swore at him, the little hothead.

 

“Struggle all ya want, but you’re gonna be a Hirako bride eventually, so ya might as well just give in gracefully now.”

 

As far as Shinji was concerned, they just had the wedding night in advance. The golden-haired Captain was perfectly fine with that, what with his tendency to do things backwards sometimes.

 

“Screw you,” Hiyori blustered, outraged at being told what to do. “I’m not gonna marry you!!”

 

“Screwing me was what got you in this position in the first place, brat,” he told her with fond amusement. He really ought to thank her for this, since she had just saved him the difficult task of having to subtly corral her into a relationship. “Since you started this, it’s only fair that I get to end it.”

 

She looked like she wanted to end him instead, but then he leaned in and kissed her. Surprisingly enough, she grudgingly submitted to his ministrations, weak to his physical displays of affection.

 

“It’s already done, Hiyori,” he whispered huskily in her ear after he had her sufficiently distracted. “This deal is sealed as far as you’re concerned. You’ve already been baited and hooked, caught. Now, all that’s left to do is to reel you in and land you.”

 

The petite blonde turned bright red, and then she wasted no time clocking her stupid lover in the face with her own forehead. This time, the impact smashed into his skull with a loud clunk. Shinji immediately pulled back, cursing up a streak. He had just had his bell rang, hard.  

 

“I’M NOT A BLOODY FISH, DAMN BALDY!!” she lifted her head and bellowed right into his ear. Then, she lunged over and sank her sharp little fangs into his bare shoulder, unceremoniously drawing blood, just for the sheer hell of it. He let out a distinctly unmanly yelp.

 

“HIYORI!” he yelled back, his forehead throbbing in pain. Really, this little monkey was still as unmannerly and as disagreeable as ever. He was extremely careful to keep her legs firmly trapped under his, though. The last time he intentionally provoked her, she had made sure to go right in for the kill, biting, scratching, kicking and punching anything that got in her way. His poor balls were black and blue for at least a week. Why did he love this woman again?

 

“YOU BETTER HAVE A PROPER PROPOSAL THE NEXT TIME YOU ASK!!” the pint-sized blonde shouted at him. “AND YOU ALSO BETTER BE ON YOUR DAMN KNEES!!”

 

Shinji stopped swearing abruptly. He looked sharply at the angry woman under him, his disgruntlement with her quickly forgotten. “Next time?” he echoed, sobering. “Hiyori, what are you saying?”

The ex-Shinigami clamped her mouth shut, having spoken more than she intended to on the subject. “Nothin’.” She scowled crankily at him. “And lemme go!”

 

“No,” he told her. “We’re not going anywhere until you clarify this.” He paused, and then continued. “S’pose I ask ya ta’ marry me, what do ya say?”

 

Hiyori growled, not liking her current position. But Shinji could be very stubborn if he wanted to as well, and he wasn’t going to back down until he had his answer. “HELL NO! That’s what I’m gonna say! No way in hell!! And I swear, if you don’t release me right now, I’m gonna kick yer ass so bad-”

 

He ignored her aggressive rambling and persisted. “Is that a ‘Yes, Shinji-kun, of course I’ll marry you’ that I hear?”

 

With a perfect poker face, the Gobantai Taichou continued to mimic her possible response in a falsetto voice that sounded absolutely _nothing_ like her, much to her outrage. “Oh, this is a dream come true, my handsome, darling Prince! We’ll have a perfect sunset wedding by the sea and twenty bridesmaids to hold onto my hundred foot long wedding train as I ride down the aisle on a little white pony and commit my life to yours for all of eternity. And then we’ll share a perfect kiss in the backdrop of the entire Goteijusantai-”

 

Hiyori looked like she wanted to kill him then for his ridiculous charade but couldn’t quite manage it since he had her completely incapacitated now.

 

“Shut up!! I do _not_ speak like that!!” she burst out. “And there will be no goddamn fuckin’ ponies or hundred foot long trains or twenty bridesmaids at our wedding! The whole thing’s gonna be nice, short and simple, dammit!”

 

Then, she suddenly realized what she had just said. The triumphant look on the jackass’ face was nearly enough to convince her to commit murder.

 

“That’s a yes, isn’t it, brat?” he pressed teasingly, now smiling. She kept stubbornly silent this time, not about to be prodded into revealing any more than she already had. But that was alright, Shinji already had his answer. It was as much of a verbal confirmation as he could get from her at this point of time, and really, she had already showed that he had her favor when she gave herself so sweetly to him today.

 

And now that this was settled…

 

“What are you doing?” the tiny blonde still lying under him suddenly demanded, her sharp voice hitching slightly when he lowered his head and brushed his lips against her neck, his large hand stroking her bare thigh at the same time.

 

“I did mention just now that we have helluva lot of sexual tension to work through, didn’t I?”

 

“What?!! Wait!! D-Don’t you fuckin’ dare, S-Shinji!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

**  
**

Yeah, so my love for ShiYori got completely out of hand and I feel like I have been dragged kicking and screaming into this fandom by my muse. That’s not such a bad thing, I suppose, since I do feel very strongly for this couple and can’t seem to write anything but them for the last week or so, much to my chagrin. Might as well not fight it any longer and just go along with the flow, eh?

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As mentioned in the summary, ‘Lily and Thistle’ will be a one-shot collection in the same universe of ‘Say Please,’ my other ShiYori one-shot smut fic. As such, the chapters here will all be loosely related but may not be in chronological order (I will try to refrain from this), though that shouldn’t be an issue since most of the installments can be taken as separate shots themselves.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

FYI, the title ‘Lily and Thistle’ is taken in reference of Shinji and Hiyori’s respective Shinigami Division insignias, the Gobantai’s Lily, and the Juunibantai’s Thistle. In the language of flowers, the Lily represents passion and devotion, and the Thistle is known to mean bravery and loyalty. I thought that the symbolisms of the flowers were rather fitting for our main characters, even though Hiyori is not currently a member of the Twelfth Division and the Gotei 13.

 

Do you know that lilies and thistles are a very popular floral arrangement for bridal bouquets? I was googling them up to see what the flowers looked like and they were absolutely gorgeous together. (Sorry, I’m currently at that insufferable stage where every little thing that even vaguely justifies my OTP sends me and my inner fangirl into ridiculous paroxysms of joy and happiness.)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

For those who are curious, the term ‘hentai yarou’ loosely translates to ‘perverted bastard,’ just so you know.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

There will be smut in this fic; mild insinuations of sex, blatant descriptions of sex, you name it, it probably will be in here. I don’t know if that makes me perverted or what, but ShiYori is my new BelHaru – i.e. my new favorite smut couple. This fic is M-rated for a reason; you have been warned!! 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	2. The Empress' New Clothes - Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 1982

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 16/07/13

**Completed on:** 16/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 25/07/13

 

* * *

**The Empress’ New Clothes – Part I**

* * *

 

It didn’t take Lisa long to figure out the truth.

 

“You finally gave it up to Shinji, didn’t you?” the bespectacled woman mentioned out of the blue one day.

 

Hiyori, who had been more than a bit irritable over the considerable summer heat, just scowled at the older female’s ambiguous comment. Lounging on the couch in the warehouse in a distinctly unladylike manner, the small blonde had a sad paper fan in her hand as she tried rather ineffectually to combat the soaring temperature. “What are ya yappin’ ‘bout?” she demanded grumpily. She had long since forgone her trademark red jacket and was only in her thin, white tank top, perspiration slicking her skin as she attempted to find a more comfortable position to relax in on the lumpy sofa.

 

Turquoise eyes studied the petite girl. Lisa had been wondering about Hiyori’s more languid mannerisms recently – the usually tense, edgy female was just a little less quick to lash out, a little less eager to make whoever was unfortunate enough to offend her bleed. She was still the same grouchy little turd overall, but now there was an unexpected _softness_ to her fierce features, a slight glow to her that had not been there before. There was a _womanly_ quality to Hiyori now, barely noticeable as it was, but undeniable all the same. As such, it was easy to put two and two together and reach the inevitable conclusion that had been a long time coming – there was only one man brave (and stupid) enough to take on Hiyori, after all, even back when they were all seated officers in the Gotei 13, more than a century ago.

 

“Your virginity,” Lisa remarked calmly, never taking her eyes off of her josei manga as she did so. “You finally lost it to Shinji.”

  
There was a distinct sound of someone choking in the background of the girls’ conversation.

 

Love stood up suddenly from the loft of the warehouse, looking distinctly flustered and irritated. “I’m outta here,” the large man announced before he swiftly flash stepped away, most likely intending to keep as far away from this entirely uncomfortable discussion as physically possible. He did not need to know more about the private affairs of the antagonistic couple than he already did.

 

Hiyori nearly fell out of the couch at Lisa’s flat statement. The surprised flare of her reiatsu was proof enough that the older female had hit the nail right on the head.

 

“What the _hell_!” the pigtailed blonde yelled. Her earlier bored expression was completely wiped off of her face now, and in its place was a familiar anger accompanied by no small amount of fluster. “Who told you that!!”

 

Lisa calmly turned the page of her manga. “Nobody. You just had that look about you.”

 

“What look?!!” Hiyori sounded horrified, her hands coming up to check her face in case she had been walking around with the words ‘no longer a virgin’ tattooed on her forehead.

 

Lisa lifted her shoulder in a casual shrug. “You know. That ‘finally got laid’ look. I’m going to take a guess and say that you were the one who jumped Shinji, since he won’t allow himself to touch you unless you instigate it. About time you put the poor man out of his misery.”

 

Hiyori was starting to look even more agitated in the face of the ponytailed woman’s absolute serenity. “You _guessed_?!” the smaller woman screeched. “And how come you automatically assumed that I did it with Shinji?!"

 

“Oh? It’s not him?” Lisa did not sound like she could care less. “You better prepare to defend your lover boy then, whoever he is. Shinji’s going to be pissed.”

 

The grass is green. The sky is blue. It’s going to rain soon. The ebony-haired Vizard sounded like she was just reciting a boring fact, which it might as well be, judging by how long they had all known about their leader’s affection for his short-tempered brat.

 

Hiyori sputtered futilely for a few seconds. Her ochre eyes narrowed, but she at last muttered very lowly. “I didn’t say that it wasn’t him.”

 

Lisa finally deigned to look up from her book. The blonde was puffing out her cheeks slightly and appeared visibly embarrassed. There was a small frown furrowing her brow, but overall, there was an unexpectedly endearing quality that Hiyori possessed (if one managed to look past her outwardly offensive and prickly demeanor, that was), and Lisa could see why the current Fifth Division Captain was so taken with her.

 

“You do look kind of sexy nowadays, Hiyori,” Lisa remarked without shame or self-consciousness, and the younger girl gaped at her incredulously.

 

“WHAT??!! ARE YOU SHITTIN’ ME?!”

 

“Your movements. They are looser, less edgy. There’s a languid sensuality. The air around you is also softer – it attracts attention.”

 

Hiyori’s face was even redder than before now. “I’M NOT GOIN’ SOFT, DAMMIT!”

 

“I never said you were,” Lisa countered calmly. “I just said that you looked thoroughly loved – you have that particular glow about you – and that’s pretty sexy. Congrats on your newfound womanhood, Hiyori.”

 

Lisa was as deadpan as ever, and Hiyori’s mouth opened and closed in disbelief and shock. She looked like she wanted very much to say something but could not seem to find the words.

 

“By the way, are you attending the summer festival later, Hiyori?” the older Vizard continued to ask unflappably.

 

“…Maybe. Why?” the blonde replied grudgingly at last, intent on pretending that the last few minutes of their conversation had not occurred at all. She would likely go to the natsu matsuri and check things out for a bit – it wasn’t as if there was anything much to do around here recently, and she was having an intense hankering for festival grub. Some yakitori and yakisoba sounded pretty good, actually.

  
“You should put on a furisode, then. It’s been decades since you last wore a kimono.”

 

* * *

  

A few hours later, a visibly irritated Hiyori was stalking down the streets of Karakura town, a fierce scowl on her face as she ignored the blatant stares of the other pedestrians.

 

Furisode, her ass!! This was the last time she was going to listen to Lisa! She should have known that the other Vizard would take the opportunity to drag her off to one of the latter’s favorite cosplay shop and dress her up like a little doll – this always happened whenever Hiyori was stupid or unlucky enough to go clothes shopping with Lisa, so she really didn’t know what she was expecting this time around. She had been dragged into the establishment screaming and scratching and then been made to endure at least two hours of being a living clothes horse; she had barely escaped with her life as it was, let alone her pride.

 

Her dignity was left in tatters on the floor of that store alongside with her tracksuit, and now she had no choice but to put up with this incredibly bastardized version of a kimono that she had been made to put on before she managed to sufficiently distract Lisa and quickly sneak off. It was very pretty though, a delicate confection of black silk patterned by a storm of pink, white and red Sakura petals scattered throughout the fabric.

 

Hiyori had never quite seen a kimono like this, let alone worn one prior to today. First of all, its hem was incredibly short unlike the customary floor length versions, with an unusual flared skirt that stopped several inches above her knees, leaving the rest of her slender legs completely exposed and showing her bare feet that were encased in a pair of small, delicate zori sandals. Strangely enough, there was no need to wear a nagajuban either, though the sleeves of the silk material did resemble a traditional kofurisode somewhat, with a long sweeping length that matched the hem of the kimono perfectly when she spread out her arms. The obi was extremely lovely though, a pure bolt of wide crimson red brocade that spanned her tiny waist, overlaid by a second, narrower piece of obsidian silk, and together, they were both tied into an intricately elaborate bow of black and red at the small of her back. The decorative obijime completed the outfit, the thin, braided ebony cord looped around her middle and knotted at her side, the two red beads at the ends clinking lightly with every movement she made.

 

The entire ensemble, though like nothing she had ever come across before, was simply gorgeous and it made her feel extremely feminine and cute. Contrary to popular belief, Hiyori was not a complete tomboy and could appreciate adorable and beautiful things just like any other girl, and she had to admit that her current attire looked pretty sweet. As such, the blonde consoled herself with that fact, and besides, it was really not that bad. The shortness of the costume ensured an utter ease of leg movement that a formal furisode could never afford her, and the lack of heavy fabric meant that she would not overheat in this sweltering summer weather, and since she was already more or less dressed for the occasion, she might as well just continue on to the town’s natsu matsuri and grab some well-deserved dinner on the way.

 

It did not take the pigtailed young woman very long to reach the riverbank where Karakura town’s annual Summer Festival was held. Already, it was beginning to teem with people, and although the little blonde didn’t usually like to be faced with such a massive tide of humanity, she was willing to make an exception this time for the sake of the delicious food that was already calling out to her with their delectable scents. With a little grin on her face, Hiyori followed her twitching nose, her earlier bad mood easing at the impending prospect of being fed.

 

It was only when she was standing before a stall selling mouthwatering okonomiyaki that Hiyori suddenly realized something very important.

 

She had not brought any money with her. Her belongings were all still with Lisa, and right now, she was completely empty handed.

 

_Shit. Shiiiiit_.

 

The little blonde wanted to swear at her bad luck. She was very close to throwing a full on temper tantrum. The Vizard’s warehouse was located at the other end of town and she was hungry and wanted food, stat! Hiyori was wondering what she could do now, eyeing the food stall (and the food she could not eat) with an angry, distinctly forlorn air when along swaggered over a pair of human teenage boys.

 

“Hey there, cutie pie,” they leered at the petite girl with the sweet, freckled face and the innocently sexy appearance. “Are you here alone? Wanna hang out with us?”

 

Hiyori’s immediate instinct was to snarl at the pair of dipshits for interrupting her and maybe beat them up violently while she was at it, but then she promptly backtracked her thoughts and saw opportunity instead. Considering the somewhat good looking youths standing cockily before her, it didn’t take Hiyori long to realize that the two doofuses here were probably god’s answer to her prayers.

 

Hmm, this could work…

 

Cackling inwardly at her sudden change in fortune, the ex-Shinigami turned to her victims and deliberately widened her eyes, making the expressive ochre depths glisten ever so slightly. She slowly moistened her pink lips with the tip of her tongue, and watched as the two boys immediately focused on her, almost as if mesmerized. A shy, trembling smile quickly had them infatuated, and a soft, maidenly blush closed the transaction.

 

Hook, line and sinker.

 

“You really wanna play with me?” she asked with a deliberately breathless, sweet, girlish lilt. The boys flushed and nodded. “Really?”

 

Another series of quick nods.

 

Hiyori smiled slowly, her catlike eyes sharpening slightly with predatory intent.

 

“Alright then.”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

This is the first part of three shots. The second and third will be coming up shortly!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Yes, so the other Vizards found out. It’s not really surprising, since they are a pretty close knit group and are bound to realize such things sooner or later. Also, since most of them are at least experts in zanjutsu and the art of fighting, it makes sense that they will pay more attention to things like body language and sense that some things are different now.

 

Also, I’m not sure how much this pertains to real life, but according to some shoujo mangas, women who have had sex or are no longer virgins (as a result from having aforementioned sex) suddenly become more sexy and unconsciously sensual in their demeanors to the people around them, and if that was true, then I figured that out of that lot of them, Lisa would surely pick up on it right away, so there you go.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

About the cosplay shop, well, we all know that Lisa’s an otaku – there’s no such thing as an otaku with no interest whatsoever in cosplay. Besides, she’s always dressed in a sailor fuku herself, so it shouldn’t be that farfetched to imagine that there’s a shop she goes to for all of her otaku needs, ahaha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Hiyori is such a little hellion, but I do believe that she, too, has her girly side, or at least, she will not hesitate to make use of said girly side in order to get her way.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Natsu Matsuri translates to Japan’s summer festivals, held all over the country during the summer season. There are usually souvenir booths, food and game stalls aplenty during the duration of the festival. Okonomiyaki, Yakitori, and Yakisoba are some of the common street foods sold.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Some of the Japanese terms used in this chapter to explain Hiyori’s outfit:

 

According to Wikipedia, a furisode (振袖?, lit. swinging sleeves) is a style of kimono distinguishable by its long sleeves, which range in length from 85 centimeters for a kofurisode (小振袖) to 114 centimeters for an ōfurisode (大振袖) and are the most formal style of kimono worn by unmarried women in Japan.

 

A nagajuban is an under robe worn beneath the kimono to keep the kimono clean by preventing contact with the wearer’s skin.

 

The obi is the sash worn with the kimono, and the obijime is a tasseled, decorative string that is tied around the obi.

 

Last but not least, the zori are traditional Japanese slippers that resemble flip flops. The more modern versions (which are what Hiyori is wearing) are usually made of vinyl materials and have sloped platform soles.

 

There are actually a lot more parts and pieces to a traditional, formal kimono, but since what Hiyori is wearing is not exactly a proper kimono, I skipped out on a lot of things. Visit Wikipedia and read it out if you are genuinely interested; they are pretty informative on the subject of kimonos over there.

 

If anybody is interested in a picture of the dress that had inspired Hiyori’s outfit, let me know and I will put a link up in the next chapter.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	3. The Empress' New Clothes - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2523

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 16/07/13

**Completed on:** 17/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 27/07/13

 

* * *

**The Empress’ New Clothes – Part II**

* * *

 

Hirako Shinji was having an absolutely boring day so far.

 

As always, life in Seireitei passed with excruciating slowness; it seemed like everyone lived out their long lifespans like Galapagos tortoises, and looked just about as interesting as they did so. It had been good to return as the head of his original division and see the other Captains and friends whom he had lost contact with a century or so ago, but after the initial homecoming period was over, it was quite apparent that the entire lot of them in the Court of Pure Souls had hardly changed at all – a century was nothing to the lives of beings who could easily live for thousands of years, and, like it was before his exile, the pace of living here was unbearably lazy and sluggish.

 

To Shinji, who had grown to love the accelerated, colorful world in the Living Realm, this was the hardest thing to get used to again. It felt like he was going backwards in time, and not surprisingly, Shinji was not interested in living life like some outdated dinosaur – even though he rightfully belonged with the lot of them in the first place. _Boring_. It was utterly, mind numbingly boring.

 

His Lieutenant, Hinamori Momo, was of the very proper and straight-laced sort. She was very eager to please and took everything too seriously at the same time, though that was good since she tended to take care of most of the day-to-day issues of their Division with swift deftness and efficiency, and usually without too much interference on his part. Old Man Yamamoto, Unohana, Ukitake and Kyouraku were still the same from back in the day when they were all Captains. Yoruichi’s replacement, Soi Feng, was something of a stiff with no sense of humor whatsoever. Ditto the Captains of the Rokubantai, Nanabantai and Juubantai. The current Kenpachi was as bloodthirsty as the last one he remembered, and Urahara’s replacement, Kurotsuchi, was still a creepy little shit, only he was higher up the food chain now. Even Rose and Kensei had lost some of their levity as they focused their attentions on running their respective divisions, and really, he had no one to argue with or annoy in between his time spent managing the Gobantai, which usually involved long hours spent in his office reviewing paperwork and revamping the division’s organizational structure to suit his operational style, accompanied by the occasional spar with his seated officers to determine the strengths and weaknesses of the men and women who now worked under his command. 

 

All in all, life in Seireitei after the war was pretty dull and peaceful, which was why he visited the Living World whenever he could. It wasn’t difficult to secure permission from the Old Man; unrestricted passage to and from the Living World for the four Vizards was part of the conditions that he had set for all of them when they were all recalled to retake their posts amongst the Gotei 13. Officially, this was to keep track of the remaining Shinigami/Hollow hybrids in Karakura town and also to maintain a formal line of communication with the other exiled Death Gods living in the area. Unofficially, there wasn’t much the Old Man could do to stop them from sneaking between the realms if they really wanted to, and besides, this granted request was but a tiny recompense owed to them for the injustice that they had been dealt over a hundred years ago.

 

So right now, after an earlier three hour long (and entirely tedious) Captains’ Meeting in the First Division, Shinji was walking away from the Urahara Shoten with the former Captain of the Twelfth Division in tow, his arms folded in front of his chest and his hands tucked into the voluminous sleeves of his Captain haori, an entirely apathetic look on his face as he made small talk with Kisuke and lazily collected information from the other blonde regarding any unusual happenings occurring in Karakura. The informal surveillance assignment was a small enough price to pay in exchange for the right to come and go as he pleased between the dead and living realms, and besides, it was always good to keep abreast of matters in Karakura, since nasty events had a bad habit of occurring around a certain Kurosaki Ichigo with alarming frequency and regularity.

 

Speaking of which, the orange-haired Substitute Shinigami and his Quincy friend were walking a few paces ahead of the two men, having seemingly run into the latter duo by coincidence a short while ago. The pair of humans were dressed in summer yukata and, after some subtle ribbing from both Shinji and Kisuke, eventually revealed that they were on their way to meet their friends to attend the local natsu matsuri together, and since the two older souls had no particular destination in mind, they ended up tagging along as well.

 

The festival was in full swing by the time they neared the riverbanks of Karakura town, with a colorful, noisy deluge of humanity that Kisuke gamely took in stride and that Shinji seemed to appreciate. For once, both men did not look out of place at all with their traditional outfits, and were therefore largely ignored by the throngs of revelers and matsuri visitors as they slowly made their way through the stalls. The younger males, though, were already scowling and frowning respectively, visibly uncomfortable and not pleased to have to brave the overwhelming crowds.

 

It was then, though, that Ichigo’s bored regard caught sight of something both horribly familiar and astoundingly shocking at the same time. Swiveling his head sharply to take a better look at what he had just seen, the orange-haired teenager came to an abrupt stop even as his jaw unhinged. Uryuu nearly ran into his friend – Ichigo had halted abruptly without any warning at all.

 

“Kurosaki, do you not know how to walk properly?” he snapped, looking distinctly irritated. “What’s wrong with you now?”

 

In answer, the Substitute Shinigami just pointed towards the utterly bewildering sight that had caught his attention in the first place. His eyes were not playing tricks on him, were they? “What the hell…? …Is that… _Hiyori_?” he blurted out loudly, incredulity coloring his tone, squinting slightly at he did so and scowling even more than usual. “And what is she…?”

 

Hearing that name was enough to catch Shinji’s attention, and breaking off the conversation with Kisuke, the Fifth Division Captain lifted his head and glanced swiftly in the direction that Ichigo was gesturing, along with everyone else in the group.

 

It took him slightly longer than usual to pick out the woman in question from amongst the crowds, not only because she had masked her reiatsu, but also because he almost did not recognize her at first sight. It took a second look before he finally registered that the petite blonde whom he was currently staring at was one and the same Sarugaki Hiyori – _his_ brat.

 

He was not the only one gawking in surprise.

 

The small group of Shinigami, Vizards and Quincy were visibly taken aback for a few short seconds. Not surprisingly, Urahara and Ishida were amongst the first to recover from the unusual sight. The bucket hat wearing blonde looked vaguely amused then. “Oh my,” the man murmured, unfurling his fan with a graceful snap of his wrist to hide his chuckle as he did so. “Hiyori-san sure is looking prettier and cuter these days.”

 

Shinji, still gaping, was too astonished to muster a reply.

 

Ichigo scowled. “She looks like a girl,” the orange-haired teen announced almost accusingly then, as if he had been deliberately misled into thinking otherwise all this while, much to Uryuu’s slight snort of derision.

 

“Newsflash, moron. Sarugaki-san _is_ a girl.”

 

If even the usually oblivious Ichigo could discern that fact, then it was obvious that Hiyori was looking _very_ different today.

 

“No, she isn’t,” Ichigo muttered. “She’s a monkey, a chibi gorilla!!”

 

But there was clearly nothing remotely apelike about the girl right now, as they could all attest. They were still a fair distance away from the small female in question, and the overwhelming number of people around them ensured that their presence had not been detected by her yet. Besides, the short blonde appeared quite distracted by her two unknown male companions, and as they watched, she was bestowing upon the aforementioned dumbstruck boys an absolutely adorable little fanged grin and an expectantly innocent flutter of her large, heavily lashed eyes even as she pointed to a nearby food stall and said something to them.

 

A good three quarters of the men in the group were not even aware that she was capable of making such cute, impish expressions. Somehow, it was not entirely surprising that those besotted boys whom she was with were immediately scrambling to fulfill her every wish, and Uryuu blinked when he abruptly realized what was going on.

 

“She’s…manipulating them so that they’ll buy her food,” he commented in disbelief. And damn if it wasn’t working like a charm, judging by the way those two were all but competing with each other to feed her.

 

Ichigo face-palmed. Trust Hiyori to break out her feminine wiles for something like this! Really, he should have known!!

 

“What the _hell_ is she wearing?” Shinji suddenly thundered then, finally regaining his senses. The usually bored looking blonde also appeared particularly murderous as he surveyed the scene before him with suddenly sharp eyes, and Kisuke side-eyed the flustered Shinigami Captain with something akin to curious amusement before realization quickly occurred.

 

Huh. So that was how it was.

 

Uryuu answered on the behalf of the Fifth Division Taichou, pushing the bridge of his slipping glasses firmly back onto the ridge of his nose as he did so.

  
“It’s a Wa Lolita Kimono dress, I believe, designed in the style of a Kofurisode. Notice the long, sweeping sleeves? The Sakura petals motif of the material is astoundingly exquisite as well, as is the intricate lace detail on the skirt itself-”

 

“Enough, Ishida,” Ichigo interrupted before the Quincy could really warm up to his favorite topic. “I think the rest of us all stopped listening after you mentioned that Hiyori is in a dress. Voluntarily.”  
  
Uryuu frowned slightly at that. “Why not? Sarugaki-san looks amazing in this ensemble, and she also clearly knows how to present herself to her best advantage.”  
  
Shinji twitched at that. The brat was, perhaps, a little too good at presenting herself to the unsuspecting male masses (and rather immodestly, to boot). Her dress was much too short for his taste and left a good amount of her lean, slender legs bare. Her small feet were encased in delicate zori sandals that drew attention to her surprisingly dainty ankles and the smooth arch of her milky calves. The elaborate obi was tightly cinched at her midriff, emphasizing her exquisitely narrow waist and slight, feminine figure, quickly proving without a doubt that, despite her small stature, she was clearly all woman. She looked like a beautiful little doll, and even her usual fluffy, pigtailed hairstyle added to her charm, an innocently sexy appeal that attracted all sorts of masculine attention.

 

She was everything that he had always known she could be but was none too keen to share with the rest of the world, and Shinji could not believe that it had come to this, but right now, he would gladly buy her all the shapeless, hideous looking tracksuits she favored as long as she promised never to wear such provocative outfits again, at least not without him around to chase away overly interested parties. Shinji was still having trouble trying to reconcile this cutely manipulative, mischievously sensual young woman to the fiery little hellion he had claimed as his own, and the fact that there were two males (albeit weak human boys whom she was obviously just toying with) hovering over her with obviously impure intent did nothing to improve his agitation.

 

“I agree, Hiyori-san is becoming quite the lovely young lady,” Urahara remarked innocuously as he casually fanned the flames of the fuming blonde beside him. “Her spirited personality is rather enchanting; some men prefer their women feisty, you know.”

 

“She looks like jailbait,” Shinji snapped then, looking particularly furious when one of those boys had the nerve to touch her arm – and she was allowing it. “Excuse me,” the Gobantai Taichou bit out then. “I suddenly remember that I have something very important to take care of.”

 

Without another word, the usually laidback blonde tersely disappeared from their midst, leaving behind a terribly entertained Urahara and two visibly baffled teens.

 

“Oi, Urahara, where’s Shinji going in such a hurry?” Ichigo questioned.

 

There was an abrupt exclamation carrying over from the distance then, and the trio immediately turned to check out the commotion.

 

“Sarugaki-san is gone too,” Uryuu remarked, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Her companions are still there, though.” The two boys looked utterly bewildered, as if the girl that they had been with mere seconds ago had literally been snatched out of midair.

 

Ichigo’s brow furrowed. “What’s the hell’s going on?” he scowled, not appreciating the fact that the damn Urahara shopkeeper was keeping secrets from him _again_.

 

Kisuke brought his fan closer to his face. It was too bad that Yoruichi was not here to see this; she would be very interested to know the events that had transpired today. “Ah, there’s nothing to worry about. Like I just said, some men prefer their women feisty.”

 

Surprisingly enough, the Substitute Shinigami and his Quincy eventually caught on to his meaning, judging by the gob smacked looks on their faces.

 

“You mean Shinji and monkey Hiyori are…” Ichigo trailed off, looking slightly confused. His brown eyes suddenly widened. “Shinji’s a _lolicon_?!!”

 

Urahara’s gray eyes gleamed with mirth at the orange-haired teenager’s visibly disturbed expression. “For the good of your wellbeing, Ichigo, I hope you never say that in front of either Shinji-san or Hiyori-san. For your information, Hiyori-san may look deceptively small in size, but I assure you that she’s a fully grown young adult capable of making her own decisions when it comes to the matter of her personal relationships.”  
  
“But she’s tiny! Even my baby sisters are bigger than her!!” Ichigo protested.

  
“Again, Ichigo, for your own good, I hope that you will be smart enough not to say such things to Hiyori-san, or she may just demonstrate to you her proficiency in physical combat despite her slight build.”

 

Ichigo, having witnessed on multiple occasions the hot-tempered woman’s ‘love taps’ towards the Fifth Division Captain, was definitely not keen to be on the receiving end of such treatment. He already took enough beatings from Rukia as it was.

 

“I don’t understand what Shinji is thinking,” Ichigo remarked then. “The midget monkey’s so short and violent!! Whatever does he sees in her?”

 

Ishida and Urahara paused and looked at the other teen with varying degrees of skepticism. The Quincy dryly replied for both himself and the blonde ex-Shinigami.

 

“I don’t think that you are in any position to point fingers here, Kurosaki.”

 

“What?!”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Second part of three shots. The last one will be up as soon as I get it back from my beta!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Um yeah, very slight mention of IchiRuki at the end. There will be hints of side pairings every once in a while in this fic, but since I don’t intend to put a lot of focus on those, I don’t think this should be a big issue. Still, just putting it out here as a heads up to you guys.  

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

FYI, Wa Lolita is a pretty popular Lolita fashion style in Japan. The outfits are usually modified versions of kimonos or hakamas with a Lolita skirt twist. There are some very lovely costumes that can be found on Google Image Search for those who would like to see what they look like. I have also taken the liberty of including a link on my profile page (under the ‘Extras’ heading) to the particular costume that inspired Hiyori’s outfit for this miniseries. Feel free to have a look if you are curious enough!

 

I think that Hiyori, with her small build, would look absolutely adorable in such an outfit, which was what spurred me to write this in the first place, ahaha.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Hiyori’s official height is 133 cm, and that means she’s shorter than even Ichigo’s sisters, Yuzu and Karin, who stand at 137 cm and 136 cm respectively. Yes, she’s absolutely tiny, but I still stand firmly by my belief that she’s a full grown young adult. If both Akon and Ichimaru Gin can grow from little midgets to apparent adulthood in the span of a century, then it stands to reason that Hiyori has matured similarly as well – she just happens to have a very petite build, that’s all.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading! I’m really glad that there are fellow fans out there reading and favoriting this humble little fic. This fandom is so quiet that I often feel like I’m talking to myself here, haha. ShiYori FTW! 

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	4. The Empress' New Clothes - Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3357

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 17/07/13

**Completed on:** 19/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/07/13

 

* * *

**The Empress’ New Clothes – Part III**

* * *

 

“Shinji!! What the hell are you doing?!! Lemme down!!” Hiyori yelled from her now familiar, dangling position at the waist level of her lover. He had his arm wrapped securely around her middle and was swiftly traversing the night skies, easily toting her along like she was nothing more than a small barrel of sake.

 

She had been startled when he had popped out of literally nowhere to grab her at the natsu matsuri. He had been so fast that there was no time for her to react; the pure white of his haori obscuring her vision for a brief nanosecond, the sharp shift of her center of gravity as he jerked her to him, and then they were airborne. She didn’t even have the time to grab the box of takoyaki from Dipshit #1 before Shinji hauled her off, though to her credit, she was able to continue wolfing down a few sticks of yakitori and ikayaki en route to wherever he was taking her. Now though, all the blood was rushing straight to her head and of course the petite female was starting to get pissed. She was not appreciating this mode of transport at all and most particularly was not amused to be carried off when she wasn’t even done eating her fill yet. Those two human boys had been exceptionally obliging even without any (literal) arm twisting on her part, and even though they kept crowding her for some reason or another, it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle.

 

She was really surprised by Shinji’s presence; she hadn’t known that he would be in the Living World today, and even though a (very tiny) part of her was glad to see him, that did not exempt him from her flaring temper for suddenly dragging her away from her free meal.

 

“Shinji, what’s the big idea?!! I was eatin’ back there!! How dare you take me away from my food! I’m still growing, ya know! I need my meals! I’m gonna bite ya if you don’t lemme down this instant!” And she was squirming about like a slippery wriggly puppy, clawing ineffectually at his hand and kicking the air behind her futilely, trying to make good on her threat, twisting her head around and about to chomp down on his forearm when he tightened his hold on her warningly. She squeaked when his arm constricted around her middle, feeling about as hard and unyielding as a band of steel, a subtle reminder that however much goofy and a pushover he was to her sometimes, he was still very much a man and very strong.

 

“Brat, I’ll turn you over my knee and spank you like the unruly child that you are,” he informed her grimly, and she was so surprised by his tone that she stilled momentarily to look at him. He was looking straight ahead as he continued to move, his handsome, patrician profile unusually tense, and she wondered what had crawled up his ass and died there. Also, if he thought that he could just threaten her into submission or just tell her what to do…

 

The petite blonde did not even hesitate as she sank her sharp little fangs into his arm defiantly. He swore and deliberately dropped her. She was forced to let go of him as a result, screeching in surprise as she fell a good couple of meters from the air before he swooped down and swiftly caught her again, this time in a secure bridal carry that would hopefully keep those sharp chompers of hers away from his extremities.  
  
“You dropped me!” she yelled accusingly at him.

 

“You bit me first,” he snapped back, appearing every bit as disgruntled as she was. She looked like she was going to reach over and strangle him then, and it was a good thing that they had arrived back at the warehouse or they would probably be duking it out with each other right there. Entering the empty building, he set her back down on her feet and frowned at her like some disapproving prude. She scowled back at him, undaunted. At the same time, the irritated woman reached down and smoothed out the fabric of her skirt over her legs, which had ridden up somewhat during the abrupt trip back. He was watching her with a strange look on his face when she glanced back at him again, and she narrowed her eyes at him, unimpressed by his weird behavior so far.

 

“What?!” she demanded grouchily.

 

“Why are you dressed like this?” he demanded at last, asking the question that had been plaguing him the entire time. She was utterly distracting, and now that she was standing right before him, her entire appearance was proving to be a lot more provocative than he had first thought. He actually had to make an effort to keep his eyes trained on her face and not linger all over her body like he was tempted to do so.

 

Hiyori appeared briefly taken aback by his unexpected question. It was just clothes. Why was he so upset about it? The smaller blonde shrugged then. “Lisa took me to her cosplay shop and made me put it on. She was ‘bout ta put a French maid outfit on me next but I bailed.”

 

Shinji twitched at that. Damn that Lisa! What on earth did she think she was doing with other people’s girlfriends? He was going to have a talk with the other Vizard about this, that was for sure.

  
“It’s good,” she told him then, lifting out an arm and admiring the long, flowing sleeve of the intricately designed fabric. “It doesn’t hinder my movements at all, surprisingly enough. I think I can even fight in this.”

 

“Fight?” he echoed faintly, looking at her with rising alarm. She wanted to fight…in that _getup_??  
  
Hiyori nodded, warming up to the topic. “I can move very easily in this.” To prove her point, she pivoted on her heel and executed an absurdly graceful butterfly twist…not so coincidentally granting him a full view of her panties in the process. For the first time ever, the brat successfully gave him a nosebleed without physically landing a hit on him, and the Gobantai Taichou hurriedly clapped his hand over the bottom half of his face to stopper the blood flow.

Hiyori landed lightly back on her feet, looking very pleased with her new discovery. “I’m startin’ to see why Lisa prefers to fight in a skirt; there’re no restrictions at all. It’s better than my tracksuit!”

  
Shinji was horrified. “You can’t be serious,” he blurted out, but he was promptly ignored. Hiyori’s catlike eyes were already gleaming with impending mischief, a fanged smirk playing on her face.

 

“Time for a field test!” And by ‘field test’ she meant to run off to find some poor, unsuspecting thugs to beat up. Shinji quickly recovered enough from his dismay to lunge forward and grab her before she could disappear on him.

 

“You can’t fight like this!” he told her quickly, intent to rid her of the notion before it could fully take root in her mind.

 

“Why not?” she demanded, trying to shove him away as she did so. “I just showed ya, didn’t I? I can still kick very well; don’t try your luck with me, baldy!”

 

“Don’t kick at all!” he snapped, snaking an arm firmly around her middle to keep her from wriggling out of his hold. “You shouldn’t be kicking in a skirt, stupid!!”

 

“Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do, shithead!!”

 

“You’re gonna give all of your opponents a free show!” he interjected, visibly irritated that he had to point it out to her.

 

“So?” Annoyingly enough, she was a lot less concerned over the issue than he would have expected. “It’s just panties.”

 

“Just panties-” he broke off in disbelief. Then, his golden eyes narrowed. “Alright, _that’s it_. No skirts for you until you are mentally mature enough to handle it. Where the hell’s your tracksuit?”

 

She was putting up one hell of a fight though – by now, it was no longer about the stupid clothes but more the principle of the matter.

 

“Hage Shinji!!” she barked angrily, baring her little fang as she did so. “I’m tellin’ ya, lemme go right now or you’re gonna get it!”

“No, thanks. I’m ignorin’ ya,” he muttered back, keeping a firm hold on her and dodging her attempts to hit him as he did so. “You’re not walking around lookin’ like that.”  
  
Hiyori was immediately pissed.

  
“What’s wrong with that, huh?” she demanded, at the same time trying her best to dig her sharp elbows into his unprotected sides. “You think I can’t look cute and pretty?!!”

 

He paused in their struggles to look at her in disbelief. “Are you kiddin’ me?” he asked incredulously, and before she could take offense to that, he continued. “You are already plenty cute and pretty, brat. The last thing I need is for every perv out there to realize that as well, so be a good girl and don’t give me anymore heart attacks.”

 

His casual, completely unashamed, matter-of-fact statement hit her like a wet salmon to the face. Her eyes widened and she looked at him briefly in shock before she quickly recovered herself. As usual, Hiyori reacted in the only way that she knew how in such a situation. She wasted no time socking him right in the face. His head snapped back from the harsh impact (she _never_ pulled her punches), and swearing, his hand immediately went up to nurse his poor nose. 

 

“Don’t treat me like one of yer bimbos!!” she growled at him, though the beginnings of a flush started to spread across her cute, freckled cheeks. She shoved him away, then crossed her arms before her chest and stuck her nose in the air disdainfully.

 

“I don’t have any bimbos,” he gritted out, scowling at her. “However, what I do have is one bad-tempered little A-cup chibi whose going to get her behind tanned very soon if she continues to insist on being stubborn.”

 

She whirled on him quickly, her face reddening further. “So what if I’m a bad-tempered little A-cup chibi?! That just means I’m spirited, cute and fun-sized!! Lots of guys love that!” She stuck out her tongue at him. Quick as lightning, he reached out, grabbed her, and sealed her mouth with his. He moved so swiftly that she barely had time to react. He kissed her, hard.

 

“Yes, given the opportunity, guys will love you,” he spoke harshly against her mouth after a breathless eternity, his fierce golden eyes locked with her dazed ones. “But you are mine, brat, and if you think that I’m gonna let you run around flashing your underwear to all and sundry, something is wrong with your head. So, as much as I do appreciate seeing you all cute and girly like this, that dress is coming off until you’re willing to behave more ladylike.”

 

She immediately bristled with offense, but he simply continued. “I love ya, Snaggletooth. You can be wearin’ a potato sack and I’ll still want ya,” he purred softly, persuasively in her ear, and she shivered, defenseless against the feel of his hot breath against her sensitive skin. 

 

“Shinji…” she whispered, her beautiful, feline eyes darkening, turning her face towards his and nuzzling his cheek.

 

Sensing victory, he relented slightly, and then-

 

“GO TO HELL!!” the little hellion suddenly bellowed right in his ear, and she did it so loudly that he was sure that she had deafened him. He could hear nothing but dull ringing for the next few seconds, and she had startled him so much that he let go of her.

 

Hiyori immediately took the opportunity to take off, scowling as she did so. The nerve of the dumbass baldy – to tell her that she wasn’t ladylike enough (even though that was somewhat true) to pull off wearing that dress and then to try to seduce her out of it-

 

She was suddenly tackled from behind and wrestled to the ground. Screeching, she rolled onto her back to see her stupid lover straddling her determinedly and pinning her to the floor. The petite blonde turned bright red.

 

“YOU ARE DEAD!! HIRAKO SHINJI!!”

 

He wasn’t impressed by her yelling.

 

“That was a low blow, brat,” he muttered, barely resisting the urge to rub at his aching ear. However, he was too used to her various forms of abuse to be completely incapacitated anymore, and besides, using anything less than his entire concentration to subdue Hiyori when she was being so feisty was tantamount to suicide.

 

“LOW BLOW?!! I WILL SHOW YOU LOW BLOW, YOU-”

 

He blocked her attempts to kick him between the legs and then caught her flailing arms with one large, long-fingered hand before holding them down up over her head. “No hitting below the belt, you little spitfire. If you’re not gonna listen to reason, then I have no choice but ‘ta use force. Either way, that kimono is coming off by hook or by crook. I’m serious; you’re not running around picking fights dressed like that.”

 

“Fuck you!!” she blustered, glaring at him, but he just took it in stride.

 

“We can do that too later, if that’s what you want,” he responded easily even as his hand reached towards her obi and started to undo the intricate knot at her back. Hiyori was squawking like an indignant hen now only for her protests to be ignored. “This dress looks like it’s better suited for lovin’ than for actual battle, anyway.”

 

But Hiyori was not going down so easily. She struggled fiercely, plenty of fight encased in that small body of hers. She could care less about the stupid dress, but she hardly appreciated stupid Shinji sticking his nose into her affairs and dictating her life. He had been doing more of that lately and she had been chafing at his highhandedness, grumpy, fiercely independent spirit that she was. Just because they were sort of together now did not mean he got to have a say in everything she did – if she ever felt like streaking through Karakura town or even Soul Society, she would do it and nothing he said would matter, and that was that.

 

“I’m goin’ ‘ta kill you, Shinji!!”

 

She was yelling bloody murder when he finally wrested the ties of the kimono off of her singlehandedly, squirming madly like a landed fish under him even as he triumphantly held aloft his prize.

 

It was then, when the doors of the warehouse creaked open.

 

Mashiro, Kensei and Rose stood in the doorway, blankly surveying the scene before them. For the briefest of seconds, the three Shinigami just looked plain astonished to see the pair of lovers just as the latter duo were to see them. Then, that moment was immediately gone as the Kyuubantai Taichou promptly slapped his large hand over his Lieutenant’s wide eyes. “Oh, for god’s sake,” Kensei muttered with disbelief. “Can you two not do this in such publicly accessible places?”

 

At least now they all knew why Shinji had been in such a hurry to leave Seireitei for the Living Realm.

 

“Kensei, you meanie! I wanna see!!” Mashiro whined.

 

It suddenly occurred to the Fifth Division Captain just how this looked to his colleagues. “Wait a minute here, we are not-”

 

“Don’t just stand there and watch!” Hiyori bellowed at the other Vizards then. “Help me!! Ero-Shinji’s been trying to get me out of my clothes ever since he got his perverted hands on me!!”

 

“Ero-Shinji-” the disbelieving Hirako cut himself off as he looked at the minx that he was holding under him. Her hair was falling out of her pigtails as a result of their struggles and the fact that her unsecured kimono was sliding off one bare shoulder in complete disarray did not help his case any. He was also still holding her obi in his hand, in full view of the others, and really, that was as much as they wanted to know about the entire matter.

 

“We are leaving, Mashiro,” Kensei grumbled above the din of his Fukutaichou’s complaints even as he shot Shinji a significantly dirty look over her head. “Didn’t you say that you wanted to check out the matsuri from earlier? Let’s go.” With that said, he backed out of the building and dragged the green-haired female along with him, leaving Rose to eye the golden-haired couple briefly, his thin lips twitching slightly in mild amusement.

 

“Shinji,” the tall blonde remarked sedately at last. “Hiyori has a delicate build, so you shouldn’t be too rough with her.” Shinji sputtered at that, turning a dull red. “Well, I’ll let you two have your fun now.” The Sanbantai Taichou very politely excused himself and vacated the premises, leaving the lovebirds to their devices.

 

A very chagrinned Shinji was still gawking at the gently shut door in incredulity when he eventually noticed the lack of resistance from Hiyori. Mildly surprised by her sudden docility, he glanced down and quickly saw why she was being so quiet. Lying under him, the petite blonde was biting her lips hard as she struggled not to make a sound, her face red from her efforts and her shoulders shaking as she all but cried with mirth. Irritation inundated him when he abruptly realized what she had done.

 

“You purposely set me up, didn’t you?” he demanded, and she finally lost it. Throwing her head back, she burst into honest gales of hilarity, the sound of her amusement both loud and genuine as she laughed herself sick.  
  
“Hage Shinji-!!!” she gasped out after a while. “That stupid look on your face-!!!” She could not go on any further than that, because it was so funny that she erupted into another braying round of laughter just thinking of it.

 

Shinji was extremely unamused. “I hope you are happy, brat. They all think that I’m some sort of violent sexual deviant now. The entire Gotei 13 will probably hear of this by tomorrow evening, if Mashiro’s mouth is anything to go by.”

 

Hiyori continued to giggle madly. “So. Totally. Worth it!!” she puffed out, still cackling, and he narrowed his eyes at her, but she just kept right on laughing unrepentantly at him.

 

Shinji gave up. It wasn’t as if he could do anything about the impending rumors now. Loosening his hold on her hands – she was no longer furious or trying to escape him for one – the exasperated Gobantai Taichou just fell forward and let himself slump over his ridiculously mischievous lover, propping his chin over her bare shoulder and groaning aloud.

 

“You little imp,” he muttered exasperatedly into her skin – she was still vibrating with laughter. “Why do I put up with you?”

 

 

“Because you are a pervert, Ero-Shinji. That’s why,” she told him after a while, obviously deeply amused by the entire debacle, and he lifted his head to give her an annoyed look.

 

“A pervert, am I?” he muttered disgruntledly. To hell with it. “Since that’s what you think, I might as well go for broke, eh?”

 

Hiyori’s mirth started to fade away when she noted the particular glint in his eyes. “Are?? What are you doing, baldy…??”

  
His hands had found their way under the lapels of her kimono, and then he was peeling the silk material right off of her body. “I’m fulfilling your expectations,” he told her, his callused fingertips running over the soft skin of her stomach and making her shiver.

 

“If a pervert is what you want, then a pervert is what you’ll get, brat.”

 

Hiyori’s eyes widened with trepidation. He was serious.

 

_Uh-oh._

 

“H-Hey, S-Shinji!! W-Wait!!”

 

“Too late,” he murmured flatly, tugging the bodice of her dress right down to her waist and brushing his lips against her neck. His hand crept up the insides of her thigh, long masculine fingers curling possessively over the sensitive skin there. Her breath hitched.

 

“Be quiet; this perv’s not gonna listen to whatever you say, so just enjoy the ride.”

 

* * *

** Omake **

 

“I changed my mind,” Shinji announced out of the blue a couple of hours later, rolling onto his side to look at Hiyori. Less than an arm’s length away from him, the petite blonde was curled up in the corner of the bed, his discarded haori wrapped snugly around her, looking very much like a contented little cat right at that moment, her glowing ochre eyes all sleepy and relaxed. He had the strongest urge to reach over and cuddle her, but refrained from doing so since his brat was only still slowly getting used to the notion of receiving affection from him after their bouts of lovemaking, and was prone to being skittish and defensive if he moved too quickly.

 

Never mind. He was willing to wait and bide his time. She would come to lay with him willingly soon enough.

 

For now, she seemed to be paying attention to him though, and so he continued. “I think I quite like that dress of yours, after all. You should wear it more often.”

 

Hiyori was slightly taken aback by his complete turnabout in opinion. He was also being overly cheerful in the creepy way that was making her hackles rise. Her suspicious nature very quickly kicked in. With Shinji, there was always a catch – she just needed to find it. “Why?” 

 

He shrugged lazily at her, looking deceptively innocent as he did so. “Oh, you know. It’s as you said; it’s a marked improvement from your usual attire, which is completely hideous, you have to admit. That new dress also makes access to you so much…easier, and it’s nice and short, to boot. I’ve decided that I like it quite a lot.”  
  
She was immediately puffing up with indignation, the earlier languid quality in her satisfied body disappearing quickly. “What’s wrong with my tracksuit?” she demanded, sitting up to tower over him, frowning in affront. She seemed to have forgotten that she was only wearing his haori in her irritation, and the material quickly gaped open, earning him an eyeful, not that he was complaining. It took effort, but he continued to meet her challenging stare with a deliberate, meditative calm. His nonchalant composure in the face of her increasing agitation always irritated her for some reason or another, and he was not above using it against her.

 

“It’s ugly as sin,” he commented with a casual shrug that seemed to set her off, judging by the irate flare in her eyes. “You do look so much cuter in that dress.”

 

She scowled. “My tracksuit’s not ugly. I love it and I don’t care what you think.” She paused, glowered some more, and then looked at him with haughty disdain. “And you’re wrong. I’m cute in everythin’. You’re lucky to have me.”

 

It was good to know that her ego was as healthy as ever. Instead of being exasperated by it, he was just amused. Besides, she wasn’t wrong – he found her utterly adorable.

 

“And you’re just perving on me, aren’t ya,” she continued, sounding disgruntled. She gave him a sharp glare. “Ero-Shinji.”

 

He gave her a mild look in return, unbothered by her accusation. “You are mine, brat. Who else should I perv on if not you?” Then, he deliberately stretched out across the bed sheets like a large, lazy feline, the sleek, sinewy muscles of his lean, rangy form rippling with his languid movement. Her eyes tracked his nude body automatically, and she licked her lips, flustered. He grinned shamelessly, pleased by her reaction.

 

“You were sayin’, darlin’?” he drawled, and she flushed. Her stubborn nature ensured that she would not back down however, and sure enough, she took a short moment to take stock of herself and was very quickly throwing herself back into the argument once more, intent to win against him.

  
“Well, I’m gonna keep wearin’ my tracksuit,” she informed him defiantly. “And there’s nothin’ you can do ‘bout it.”

 

She sounded like she was very determined to keep her word too, and he smirked slightly. His brat was such a contrary little thing, and reverse psychology always worked on her like a charm. He hoped that she never found out what he was up to though, or there would be hell to pay.

 

“That’s a pity,” he purred then, his golden eyes gleaming with indulgent amusement. Reaching up leisurely, he snagged the lapels of his haori and pulled her down to his level, bending his golden head against the side of her exposed shoulder and laying a slow, deliberate kiss there, smiling inwardly when he felt her quiver lightly in response.

 

“But I’m sure I’ll find other ways to perv on ya, my Hiyori.”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

…and here’s the final part to this triple shot! I dearly hope that some of you enjoyed this little miniseries – I certainly had a lot of fun writing it!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Erm, yes, so in case some of you didn’t get the point of the omake, the reason why Hiyori isn’t running around kicking ass in a dress (and flashing her panties to all the poor/lucky fellas whose asses are being kicked) is because Shinji tricked her out of wearing it. It’s kind of crafty and manipulative of him, but hey, a guy’s got to do what a guy’s got to do, and I don’t think the world is quite ready to take on a miniskirt-wearing Hiyori yet, haha.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, notice how Hiyori is always giving Shinji nosebleeds in the series? Well, now she has another new way to do it!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

For those who are curious to know what a ‘butterfly twist’ looks like, I have attached a link (under the ‘Extras’ heading) on my profile page. Feel free to take a look!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

FYI, Takoyaki, Yakitori and Ikayaki are all traditional Japanese street foods. I highly recommend trying them if you have the opportunity to do so – they are super yummy.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Oh man, I’m just so happy to hear from the ShiYori readers. You guys just make my day so much and I don’t feel so alone in my feels, haha. As always, thanks for faving, thanks for following, and thanks for reading!!

 

(Oh, and thanks for all the lovely reviews too, of course!! =D)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	5. You're Beautiful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 1697

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 20/07/13

**Completed on:** 21/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 02/08/13

 

* * *

**You’re Beautiful**

* * *

 

Hiyori frowned at the vast array of bottles, tubes, and cans spread before her. There was everything ranging from cologne to aftershave, and the hair products alone took up an entire section on their own. The blonde didn’t even understand the meaning of half of what she was looking at – hair mousse, scalp treatments, leave-in conditioner, hair serums, _huh??_ – and therefore it was not surprising that she was terribly unamused to have to deal with the lot of mysterious items on her watch.

 

It was the Annual Spring Cleaning Weekend in the Vizards’ Warehouse, and even though there were only half of them left, there were still eight bedrooms to clean out, not to mention the common living areas. The other four reinstated Shinigami still returned every once in a while to visit, after all, and they still used their old bedrooms whenever they stayed over in the Living World.

 

Not surprisingly, Hiyori had been saddled with the responsibility of taking care of her own room and that of Shinji’s – by now, the entirety of the Vizards were aware of their budding relationship, and, much to her displeasure, it seemed that everyone was turning to her by default when there was something to do with the baldy. What was she, his mother?? Granted, Hachi, Lisa and Love also had their equal share of work to do, but now, as the pigtailed blonde stared at the bewildering assortment of grooming products that sat on Shinji’s dressing table, she wondered if she should have protested harder during the individual jobs assignment earlier.

 

A small vein ticked on Hiyori’s forehead. That stupid baldy; even when he wasn’t around, he was still giving her problems. Scowling, the petite female quickly started to move the many odds and ends off of the table and onto the bed instead. She was wearing a bandana over her hair and also had a cleaning apron laid over her tracksuit as she went about sweeping, dusting and mopping her designated areas, and she swiftly made deft work of airing out Shinji’s bedroom. The young woman made an annoyed face as she rearranged his stuff back into its proper arrangement after that. Her lover was so narcissistic about his appearance and so utterly fastidious about his grooming habits that there was a period of time where she had suspected that he played for the other team, though that had turned out to be untrue, as evidenced by recent events.

 

Hirako Shinji was just extremely vain, and since he had always been so even back when they were all living in Seireitei – that lengthy sheet of silky, flowing golden hair that he had taken such great pains to grow out had been proof – he also probably invented the term metrosexual.  To give him credit, his hair was a lot less ridiculous looking these days; she had never thought that he looked good with long hair – it made him seem way too effeminate for her tastes – but it was obvious that he was compensating for the length by lavishing an unbelievable amount of care to each individual blonde strand.  

 

Hiyori wrinkled her nose in protest when she took a curious whiff of one of the bottles and was immediately overwhelmed by the strong, cloying scent. Quickly recapping the container of chemicals, she scowled and returned it to its rightful place on his dresser. She could not comprehend how he could stand going through all these pointless daily routines for the sake of his appearance when they were hardly even necessary – he was one of those disgustingly good looking people with chiseled cheekbones and a flawless complexion and she didn’t even understand why he had to try.

 

The disgruntled blonde felt personally affronted by her other half’s physical perfection then, and her scowl deepened. “Stupid pretty men and their stupid pretty faces,” she muttered darkly. “I hope you go bald soon, hage Shinji!!”

 

“You know, it’s not nice to curse people behind their backs.” A dry, familiar voice sounded behind her then, causing her to jump a couple of feet in surprise. “Whatever have I done to incur your displeasure this time, brat?”

 

Lounging casually against the doorframe was said physically perfect other half in his usual physically perfect glory, not a strand of hair out of place as he watched her with terribly amused golden eyes, his Captain’s uniform settling over his lean, rangy frame in neat lines that complimented his elegant form.

 

Hiyori swore loudly. “Shiiiit! Shinji!!! What the hell are ya doing here!” she demanded, her heart pounding in her chest from the scare. She had thought that she was alone in this part of the warehouse and was hardly expecting anyone to drop in on her.

 

He gave her a droll look. “You forgot, didn’t you?”

 

“Forgot what?” she snapped back, irritated.

 

“I told you a few days ago that I was gonna visit, remember now?”

She did not remember any such thing, actually, but that was normal. She did recall speaking to him over the phone a few days back, so it was very likely that he had mentioned something to that effect. “I didn’t pay attention. You were nattering on and on so much that I stopped listening midway through.”

 

He gave her a mildly chiding look at her awfully honest reply, finally pushing away from the doorframe and lazily sauntering in. “Good to know that you are such an attentive girlfriend, as always.”

 

She scowled at him. “I’m stuck cleaning your stupid bedroom, aren’t I?” she retorted irritably, and he eyed her charmingly domestic attire. As usual, she was the cutest when she was all riled up and disgruntled.

 

“Right. S’that time of the year again,” he drawled with perfect nonchalance, and her eyebrow twitched. Was he purposely trying to aggravate her??

 

Shinji brushed past her surly form to sit on the bed. Then, he reached for her and tugged her towards him. She resisted bullishly but was moved to stand before him all the same. Despite her protests, he took her cleaning supplies off of her hands, divested her of her apron and bandana, and then set them all aside.

 

“Now, what’s got you so infuriated today, brat?” he asked patiently, his large hands resting on the slight curve of her girlish hips and easily spanning her tiny waist, his fingers absently stroking the sliver of soft skin that peeked out from between her tank top and track pants. She frowned at him, but it was somehow hard to maintain her level of annoyance when he was caressing her like that.

 

“You piss me off,” she announced sourly then, and his brow slowly lifted. Shinji was not at all upset or surprised by her hostile answer, though. She had always been high strung, and much to his exasperated amusement, he had been known to offend her in the past just by breathing. Still, the nature of their relationship was slowly improving; she was just a little less likely to be physically violent towards him in her demonstration of displeasure, and he was learning that his touch seemed to calm her down, a discovery that he was more than happy to make use of now that he had every right to do so.

 

“Alright,” he accepted simply. “May I know what I have done to somehow piss you off this time? At least give me something to work with here.”  

 

Her scowl deepened, and she tensed. He nudged her nearer to stand between his legs, his arm curling around her small waist as he drew her close, soothing her agitation with his physical presence. It took a while before she finally replied.

 

“You’re too frickin’ pretty,” she finally mumbled under her breath then, and judging by the way she sounded none too pleased by it, he had to assume that it wasn’t a compliment. He had to ask her to repeat her sentence just to be sure that he had heard correctly, and when she irritably growled out the same answer to him, he could not help but smile inwardly.

 

Well. This was new.

 

“I think I prefer the term ‘handsome,’ brat. And I do apologize for being such a heartthrob,” he managed to utter at last with a completely straight face. Showing any obvious signs of amusement now would just earn him a bloodied nose amongst other assorted injuries to his person. “I can’t do anything about my irresistible good looks, though. Ya know, most women would be happy ‘ta have a good lookin’ lover.”

 

She glowered at him. “I only said that you were pretty. Don’t go and add more words ‘ta praise yourself, dumbass.” She paused, and then grumpily continued. “And I have no need for a good lookin’ lover.”

 

“Yeah, well, I’m sorry but you’re stuck with me regardless of your opinion on my physical appearance. Don’t worry, though. I’ve been told that I’m pretty useful to have ‘round, and I can also give ya some pretty adorable kids, to boot.”

 

Hiyori was glaring at him again now, bristling with affront again. “You make it sound like I’m completely hideous,” she snapped, ignoring his little quip about future progeny, though she could feel her face warm with her fluster, damn him. Shinji was hardly fazed by her defensive prickliness, though.

 

“Hiyori, Hiyori,” he sighed, exasperated fondness in his tone. “Now you’re just bein’ silly.”

 

Caressing her small, impish face with his fingers, he cupped her cheeks with long, narrow hands and leaned in, kissing her slowly and very thoroughly. His mouth moved against hers with deliberate sensuality and unbidden affection, his tongue brushing lightly against her parted lips with teasing desire, as always, leaving her dazed and breathless, her knees going weak, her heart pounding in her chest. Her bad mood immediately disappeared like grey fog evaporating under the searing heat of the bright sun. Liquid warmth shot through her insides and pumped through her veins, and her catlike ochre eyes were simply mesmerizing in their intensity as they focused sharply on him, the expressive depths glowing with subtle need.

 

Shinji pulled back slightly and admired the exquisitely lovely sight that she presented.

 

“ _You are utterly beautiful to me_.”

 

* * *

 

** Omake **

 

Shinji slowly ran his long fingers through Hiyori’s hair. Her light blonde tresses were let out of their customary pigtails and the thick, unruly mess fell to her chin, framing her face and getting into her eyes. She was sitting on the floor between his legs, her back resting against the mattress he was sitting on, visibly fidgeting and her body language tense, signaling to him her level of discomfort to be in her current position. She had always been particularly defensive of people touching her hair, and it had taken him a while to convince her to let him put his hands on the soft, fluffy mass.

 

“You cut your own hair, didn’t you?” he observed critically, eying the choppy length of flaxen gold that he had spread over his palm. The uneven ends were even more obvious now that she had let her hair down. She stiffened slightly.

 

“Yeah,” she admitted grudgingly. “I don’t like it when it’s too long. It gets all over the place and it’s annoying.”

 

A foreboding feeling inundated him at her flippant statement. “Don’t tell me you just use Kubikiri Orochi to saw off the ends.” He sounded horrified by his realization.

 

Hiyori shrugged carelessly, apparently unconcerned. “It’s just hair.”

 

Indeed it was. Hers was thick and had a very slight, natural wave, untainted by chemicals or any of the harsh, unnatural hair treatments that were so popular in the Living World. Despite its deceptively bristly appearance whenever she had it up in pigtails, it was very soft and feathery to the touch, and she seemed to gradually relax as he continued to work his fingers through the strands, slowly untangling any stubborn knots that he found along the way.

 

“You’re a girl, brat,” he reminded her after a while, sighing as he did so. “Aren’t most girls supposed ta’ be conscious ‘bout their appearance?”

 

She snorted. “You’re girly enough for the both of us,” she retorted. “If I have ta’ take the effort to be half as vain as you are, I won’t have time for anything else.”

 

He ignored her jab at him and continued to stroke her hair, grabbing a brush from his dresser as he did so to help tame her short tresses. She calmed further under his soothing, repetitive ministrations, and eventually she was lulled into a sleepy state. Draping her arm over his knee, her head slowly drooped down and she ended up resting her cheek against his thigh, her feline eyes at a lazy half-mast as she enjoyed the feel of his blunt nails scratching lightly against her scalp. It felt really good to be tended to by him, and a soft, languid purr escaped her. He chuckled softly; she was like putty in his hands.

 

“You’re really enjoying this,” he commented over her head, his low timbre rich with amusement. Luckily for him, she was feeling too lethargic at the moment to take issue with his tone.

 

“You’ve missed your calling as a hairstylist and a masseuse, hage Shinji,” Hiyori murmured drowsily, content to remain where she was under his care.

 

“Yeah, well, I’m only willin’ ‘ta work for a really exclusive client, and she gives awfully lousy tips,” he teased. “I’ll just stick to my day job as a lowly Shinigami Taichou, thank you very much.”

 

Sure enough, she reacted to his comment, tipping her head backwards to look into his eyes. “What do ya mean, ‘lousy tips?’” she demanded. “Just what sorta tips are ya looking for, anyway?”

 

Setting the brush aside, he leaned down and brushed his mouth against her cheek, right over where her freckles were. She froze, startled. “This will do for now,” he murmured, and then, taking advantage of her surprise, he kissed the side of her mouth as well. As always, his unhesitating displays of affection both pleased and rattled her at the same time.

 

“Shinji!” she protested halfheartedly, and he drew back to look at her. Her fluffy hair was tamed for now, and it fell around her face in slightly tousled layers and brought out the softness of her features, usually well hidden by her prickly demeanor and hardnosed attitude.

 

“Grow out your hair a little more,” he told her then, his hand reaching out to catch a flaxen lock and tugging gently at it. “I liked it more when it was longer.”

 

‘Hell no’ was at the tip of her tongue, followed closely by ‘Screw you.’ But she was weak to that affectionate look in his eyes, that particular expression that made her feel like she was something precious to him, that Sarugaki Hiyori was someone beloved, and the words she originally meant to say would not come out.

 

“Only if you brush out my hair whenever I want you to,” she ended up blurting out instead, and even though she was immediately irritated with herself for automatically folding to his wishes so easily, there was no denying that he took very good care of her needs.

 

“Deal,” he agreed with an easy grin. “You’re weak to people touching your hair, huh?”

 

_I’m just weak to you_ , she thought irritably, though she knew better than to voice it. His insufferable ego was already big enough; there was no need to make it even worse.

 

“Stupid baldy,” she muttered disgruntledly. “You’re turnin’ me into a girl.”

 

“This may come as a complete surprise to you, brat, but you _are_ a girl,” he reminded her drolly.

 

“You’re also _my_ girl, so that means you’re gonna be extra loved and pampered, even if you kick and scream ‘bout it the entire while. Now, aren’t ya lucky?”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Yeah, I feel that Shinji’s something of a vainpot, and you can really tell by the amount of care and attention he puts into his attire and hairstyle in the series. Not to mention, in a ‘Turn Back the Pendulum’ outtake by Kubo, he was clearly very concerned about his hair and was more interested in going home to condition it (and then have his beauty sleep) than having a night out in a karaoke bar with the other Shinigami, haha.

 

Headcanon: He definitely has all sorts of grooming products lining his dresser, I tell you! (And those in his bedroom in the Vizard Warehouse are just part of his spare, emergency stash – the main hoard is back in Seireitei, but that’s another story for another time, haha.)

 

…That’s why Hiyori is such a good match for him – he needs a significant other who doesn’t give a damn about such things and is hardly intimidated (or impressed) by the fact that he’s so much more knowledgeable about personal grooming than any normal man should. Besides, somebody has to give up their dresser space (what with Shinji taking up most of it), and it’s just as well that Hiyori’s an au naturel kind of girl.

 

Don’t feel too bad for her though; Shinji’s always trying to groom her and I bet he also gives the best head rubs ever – just look at those long, elegant fingers!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Erm, the rest of this chapter is pretty much self-explanatory, so I don’t think there’s much to point out – I will leave it like this for now.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, I believe that there’s a slight miscommunication with some of the readers that I need to clarify.

 

‘Lily and Thistle’ is M-rated (and I know that I have also very shamelessly declared that it is meant to be a ShiYori smut fic) but that doesn’t mean that this series will just purely consist of endless sex scenes (that will get old very quickly, trust me). Basically, there will be different scenarios for the various one-shots/miniseries, so long story short, I promise that there will be smut coming your way every few chapters (there will be one next installment, in fact – FYI for those with a really burning need to know, ahahaha), but since this is not a PWP type of fic (there is a plot somewhere, I assure you), just be aware that you will not always be reading smut every chapter – just letting you guys know this first.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And, and, AND!!! I’m very excited and pleased to announce that ‘Lily and Thistle’ has just received its very first fanart!!! The wonderful Mic-RNOL-Mik has created a very, very cute piece for the previous miniseries, ‘The Empress’ New Clothes.’ I already have the link up on my profile page (under the ‘Fanarts’ heading), so go check it out! It’s really adorable and I’m still gushing over it! =)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	6. Got Milk?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

 **Author:** paws_bells

 **Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

 **Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3985

 **Rating:** M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!!**

 **Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 **Created on:** 22/07/13

 **Completed on:** 22/07/13

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 07/08/13

 

* * *

**Got Milk?**

* * *

 

When Yoruichi very casually reached over to Hiyori and cupped the younger girl’s chest in her palms, everyone in the immediate vicinity froze and goggled. The Goddess of Flash proceeded to squeeze the smaller blonde’s very modest bosom experimentally a couple of times, looking very calm and unimpressed as she did so. 

 

“You are still as flat as ever, Hiyori-chan,” the purple-haired female announced at last, her features deadpan. “Why is that so?”

 

Hiyori just blinked at her training partner and comrade. She appeared remarkably composed and unbothered for someone who was being molested. “Yoruichi, we’re in ‘ta middle of a spar right now! Can’t we do this later?”

 

Shinji, who had been observing the mock battle at the edge of the vast training ground of the Urahara Shoten (and briefly gawking in surprise alongside with Kisuke), was on hand almost immediately, phasing before the women with rather impressive speed.

 

“Goddammit, Yoruichi!” the golden-haired male snapped as he swiftly pulled Hiyori out of reach of her perverted, grabby hands. “Don’t do that!”

 

Yoruichi cocked her head at the irritated Fifth Division Captain. “Why not?” she asked with casual indifference. “It’s not the first time, anyway.”  
  
“Not the first time-” Shinji broke off, looking even more flustered now. He was also drawing his lover to him rather protectively. “Just how often have ya been groping my Hiyori?!! From now on, you’re not allowed to touch her without my permission!!”

 

Not surprisingly, Hiyori quickly took offense to being treated like some piece of property. Several long seconds of awful, bone crunching violence later, the powerful and suave Gobantai Taichou was nursing what looked like a broken and bleeding nose as well as a terribly bruised shin as he quaked in pain beside his terribly nonchalant Hiyori.

 

The feline shape shifter flicked a disinterested glance at the poor man – it was somehow reassuring to see that some things were still the same no matter how everything else had changed.

 

“So we’re not fightin’ anymore?” Hiyori asked the other female.

 

She sounded a bit put out; it was always good to spar with someone stronger since she had quite recently begun to train in secret to achieve Bankai. Her near death experience with Ichimaru Gin had taught her a very valuable lesson – she was not strong enough yet, she still needed to grow and advance further in terms of her abilities and maturity so as not to burden the people around her. That _look_ on Shinji’s face when she had been brutally cut down by the fox-faced traitor still haunted her dreams, and Hiyori resolved never to be the cause of such trauma to the man she loved ever again.  

 

Yoruichi arched her brow. “Your lover’s here all the way from Soul Society and you’re more interested in sparring with me than in going off to canoodle with him?” The golden-eyed female turned to look at Shinji skeptically.

 

“Huh. That explains why there’s no development whatsoever, Hiyori-chan. That simply will not do,” Yoruichi tsked, reaching out to fondle the blonde’s chest again. “Hiyori-chan, you’re a woman now; your cute little breasts won’t sprout on their own if your man isn’t massaging them properly for you. Oi, Shinji, are you watching?”

 

Now, Shinji’s nose was dripping with blood for an entirely different reason. He sputtered unintelligibly.

 

“I’d have thought that you’d know of such things, Shinji,” Yoruichi commented blithely. “Poor Hiyori-chan.”

 

Hiyori appeared slightly intrigued by the information. Eying the shape shifter’s own impressive assets, she asked, “S’that how you got those, Yoruichi?”

 

“Why!! Of course!” the dark-skinned female winked at her other half, who unfurled his fan and was smiling rather creepily behind it. “Kisuke was _very_ helpful.”

 

“Ara, ara, Yoruichi,” her lover drawled then, seamlessly tag-teaming and joining in on the joke with the playful woman. “Shinji might prefer Hiyori-san as she is now, you know.”

 

“Eh?? Shinji, you don’t like breasts? You prefer more…childlike women?” the purple-haired shape shifter enquired innocuously. Now, even Hiyori was watching him narrowly, and Shinji swallowed hard. His life was literally hanging in the balance right now. It was a while before he spoke.

  
“I’m abstainin’ from this question,” he croaked out at last. “There’s no correct answer; either choice is detrimental to my physical health, reputation and relationship. I’ll take Hiyori however she’d like me ‘ta.”  

 

“That’s a pretty sly reply,” the cat woman remarked rather neutrally, though her eyes were gleaming with unholy glee. Shinji inwardly cursed her to hell and back for putting him in such a difficult position. “Hiyori-chan, I can see why you are unsatisfied; Shinji’s obviously such an ambiguous lover. Are the both of you even doing it properly? Or is Shinji doing things upside down again?” By now, Yoruichi was not only fondling Hiyori, but also drawing the smaller woman to her own bosom and cuddling the pigtailed blonde, who was strangely docile and appeared unusually passive as she remained contentedly in the older woman’s arms, much to Shinji’s outrage and jealousy.

 

There was something about Yoruichi that reminded Hiyori a bit of her beloved Hikifune Taichou, and it also helped that the purple-haired shape shifter seemed to be very affectionate towards the younger female as well. As such, they had always had a pretty good relationship, which was why Hiyori never really minded whenever Yoruichi included her in the latter’s many little schemes to cause discomfort and embarrass the people around her – not to mention, hage Shinji was certainly looking quite mortified and agitated right now, which was always a good thing in her book.

 

The petite blonde shrugged. “I don’t know. We don’t do it all ta’ time. S’okay, I ‘spose. S’not like I have other experiences ta’ compare him with.”

 

This time, both Kisuke and Yoruichi were looking at Shinji with arched disappointment, much to his increasing chagrin. “ _Hiyori_!! There’ll be no other experiences whatsoever!!”

 

“Shinji rated only an ‘okay,’ Hiyori-chan?” Yoruichi questioned with mock dismay. “That’s no good!! Shinji, do you need lessons on how to please a woman? Kisuke can give you some pointers if you require them.”

 

“I’ll be glad to be of service,” the bucket hat wearing Urahara quipped with a perfectly straight face. “Anything to help Shinji become more than average in Hiyori-san’s regard.”

  
“I don’t need any lessons,” the Fifth Division Captain gritted out, his face unusually flushed now. They were going to be the death of him; he should have known that the other two ex-Captains were not going to let him off so easily once they learned that both he and Hiyori had finally gotten together.

 

“It’s alright, my poor little Hiyori-chan!” Yoruichi smooshed the smaller blonde to her abundant breasts, much to the latter’s twitch of surprise. “Yoruichi has your back. If you’re lonely and feel like Shinji’s not giving you enough lovin’, come to me! I’ll teach you how to fully appreciate the splendor of a woman’s lush, magnificent body!” 

 

“No, that’s definitely _not_ alright at all!” Shinji finally recovered from his spluttering embarrassment and quickly moved forward, deftly freeing his bemused lover from the devil woman’s clutches. “Don’t teach Hiyori any unnecessary things, Yoruichi!”

 

The cat woman had the gall to shrug nonchalantly. “Well, somebody has to teach Hiyori-chan something. We can’t just let the poor dear put up with mediocre sex.” Choking in disbelief, Shinji turned a bright shade of red at that not-so-subtle jab. “And besides, if you’re not going to help stimulate Hiyori-chan’s physical growth-” The purple-haired Shihouin gestured vaguely to her own impressive bust. “-I’ll be more than happy to do so on your behalf! Hiyori-chan is so cute and cuddly anyway; I’d love to fondle her more.” Yoruichi made as if to reach out for the petite blonde once more, but Shinji quickly drew his brat back, retreating zealously from the smirking female. A chuckling Kisuke came up to stand beside her.

 

“I’ll worry about the development of Hiyori’s chest myself, thank you very much,” the Gobantai Taichou muttered. “Right now, in fact. Come, brat; we’re leaving.”

 

“Don’t tell me what ‘ta do, baldy!” his disagreeable significant other grumbled grouchily. “I came here ‘ta train, not be dragged about the place like some ragdoll- _Shinji_!!”

 

He had grown impatient of her resistance and simply picked her up over his shoulder like a sack of rice, prompting her shout of displeasure. “Quiet, Hiyori. Your unnecessary input will be ignored. My fragile pride as a man and as your lover is at stake here; until you’re screaming my name to the heavens in praise and worship, anything else you say will be promptly disregarded.”

 

“That’s the spirit, Shinji!” Yoruichi cheered.

 

Hiyori was already screaming, alright. “HIRAKO SHINJI!! IF YOU DON’T LEMME DOWN RIGHT NOW, KUBIKIRI OROCHI IS GOING STRAIGHT UP YOUR ASS, I SWEAR TO GOD!!”

 

The Fifth Division Captain wrested his lover’s sword from her before she could make good on her threat to kancho him with the zanpakuto. Pinching her backside sharply in retaliation and eliciting an undignified squawk from her, he warned, “You’re gonna get a spanking if ya keep this up, brat.”

 

Hiyori screeched bloody murder.

 

Kisuke exchanged an amused glance with Yoruichi. “Those two sure have an interesting definition of foreplay,” he commented, and the purple-haired female snorted.

 

“Are you sure you don’t need an instruction manual, Shinji?!” the cat woman hollered after the retreating couple. “We made a Chappy-illustrated version for the other idiot/chibi pair, but you can borrow it if you want to!!”

 

“Shut up, Yoruichi!!” Shinji yelled back to the backdrop of Hiyori’s howls of displeasure. The pair’s bickering could be heard fading quickly into the distance.

 

Yoruichi grinned to herself, pleased at a job well done. “Now, that’s the way a reunion between lovers should look!!”

 

Kisuke lifted his brow. “Like they’re going to kill each other? Because that’s what it looks like to me.”

 

The purple-haired female gave the bucket hat wearing blonde an exasperated look.

 

“It’s passion! _Passion_!! You know, that romantic flying embrace between couples who haven’t seen each other in forever?”

 

“I’m pretty sure that Shinji just dropped by last week, though,” Kisuke remarked. Not to mention, there was nothing remotely romantic about the way the Gobantai Taichou had carted out his other half, who had been screeching like a banshee the entire while. His input was ignored, of course. Yoruichi continued.

 

“Hiyori-chan’s too shy to properly display her affection, so I’m helping her, the cute little thing,” the exiled Shihouin princess commented.

 

“Well then, in that case, something tells me that Shinji’s going to get an affectionate kick right in the face the moment he lets his cute Hiyori-san loose later.”

 

Several affectionate kicks in the face, in fact.

 

“It’s alright!! Sheesh, don’t sweat the small stuff, Kisuke!”

 

* * *

 

“…milk,” Shinji mumbled against his lover’s bare back hours later.

 

Hiyori stirred slightly at his seemingly random comment, but felt too lethargic and boneless to move further. Besides, his weight kept her pinned on her stomach on the mattress; his lean and muscular arms were wrapped snugly around her waist and his larger, equally nude form was collapsed on top of her smaller one, keeping her firmly under him. His cheek was resting against the slope of her upper back, and all in all, his current relaxed, languid demeanor closely resembled that of a sleek, lazy jungle cat that had just successfully completed an extremely satisfying hunt and had ate its fill.

 

The room was a complete mess; clothes strewn haphazardly all over the place, Kubikiri Orochi stabbed into the floor a few paces away from the bed, and Sakanade somehow lodged haphazardly up in the ceiling over them, though how it got all the way up there in the first place currently eluded the pair. A brief but fierce battle in the training ground of the Vizard’s Warehouse had ensued before they eventually took their fight into the bedroom where the Shinigami Captain had managed to subdue his feisty significant other and re-channel her irate, destructive tendencies, turning her aggression into passion instead, her anger into lust. The results had been something spectacular as they focused the full force of their sexual drive at each other, and now completely spent from their physical exertions and feeling infinitely calmer, the two lovers were momentarily content to bask in the afterglow of their frantic lovemaking.

 

“Drink more milk from now on,” Shinji elaborated lazily then. “I heard that papaya milk is good, in particular.”

 

“What for? The hell would I wanna drink more milk?” she retorted, swiveling her head to the side to look at him.

 

“Milk supposedly promotes breast growth, or somethin’ like that,” he muttered back. “You’re also too skinny, brat, so start eatin’ more if you really wanna develop a fuller figure.”

 

She started to stiffen with ire. “Do you have a fuckin’ problem with how I look now?” she demanded, twisting around in his arms and trying to wiggle out of his firm hold as she snapped at him.

 

His sleepy golden eyes sharpened slightly and grew more alert as he studied the growing scowl on her face. There was an ominous tone in her voice that immediately made his male instincts start waving red warning flags in his head. “No…” he answered slowly at last. “I already told ya earlier; I’ll take ya however way you want me ‘ta. You were the one who wanted bigger boobs.”

 

She looked indignant that he was trying to pin this on her. “I never said that I wanted bigger boobs, shithead!!”

 

He blinked at her. Come to think of it, Hiyori had never once mentioned earlier that she wished to be more well-endowed. It was Yoruichi who had been going on and on about his brat’s measurements; Hiyori had been rather noncommittal about the whole thing. Most importantly…

 

“Then what the bloody hell were we fightin’ about in the first place?” he questioned with a disgruntled groan, ignoring her irritable struggles and pulling her close. There was no way he was going to let her volatile temper escalate into yet another boiling tantrum that could only be appeased by a hard, physical fight – once today was enough, thank you very much.

 

“I don’t know,” she replied testily, visibly bristling. “You were lookin’ for a fight; so I gave ya one.”

 

“No, I wasn’t,” he murmured in flat denial against her neck, his voice muffled. “I’d rather spend my time lovin’ you than fightin’ you, brat.”

 

His honest words seemed to have some sort of effect on her moody temperament, for she calmed slightly and stopped trying to push him away. He showed his appreciation by kissing his way down her neck and along her shoulder, and her breathing quickened. Sensing opportunity, he quickly rolled her under him and proceeded to show her that he meant every word he said.

 

She was already slick from their previous coupling and more than ready to receive him, and he nudged her legs apart and swiftly mounted her. He ducked his head and nipped her jawline, eliciting a hitched moan from her, and then he caught her lips with his own at the same time he slid wetly into her. She was snug and slippery and enveloped him with such incredible heat that he groaned against her mouth as he hilted himself fully in her.

 

Despite her earlier disgruntlement, it didn’t take Hiyori very long to get right into the act of their lovemaking. She had always been an extremely passionate individual, and he just happened to be the only one able to light the hungry, desperate fire in her that only he could subsequently quench. She throbbed for him, and when he covered her like that – inside of her, around her – he beguiled her, distracted her, completely muddled up her thoughts until he was the only thing that mattered in her mind. His musky masculine scent, his addictive warmth, the feel of his hard, sleek body pressing down possessively over hers, the light tickle of his silk-like hair against her face – they all did things to her that just made her want him even more.

 

She was already sensitive from the last climax he gave her, still slightly aroused and a bit wobbly from her earlier orgasm, and sinful pleasure quickly bloomed once more across the millions of delicate nerve endings that lined her sleek inner walls when he entered her. She hissed shakily when he started to move, and the friction that arose between their bodies felt so completely decadent that she instinctively arched against him for more when he slowly pulled out of her, already fighting to join back with him, to have him fill her completely once more.

 

He drugged her with his kisses, long, erotic exchanges that involved his pierced tongue languidly teasing hers, dominating her with such sensuality that she couldn’t even resist him. Whining low in her throat, she started to strain against him, quickly being driven wild by the careful deliberateness of his movements, each languid surge of his hips as he slipped back into her, their loins merging with painstaking slowness as he made her feel every single inch of him as he sheathed himself back inside of her.

 

He held her down firmly by the hips as he made tender love to her, separating from her once more just as leisurely, not allowing her to take the lead no matter how she squirmed and her body was begging so sweetly for him to take her, hard. He pulled away from her mouth to trail kisses down her throat once more, well aware of how much it turned her on when he did so, marking her pale skin with tiny little love bites as he went along the way, his long, lean frame bending over her as he focused his attention on her small but utterly lovely form. She was so charming; her physique so delicate and slight, yet still exquisitely feminine, and he was completely enthralled. Lowering his golden head over her small but pert breasts, he took one pebbled nipple into his mouth and gently licked the little rosy nub, then lightly bit down on the sensitive flesh, and she nearly came off of the bed, struggling under him with increasing determination to end this sweet torture, only to be firmly denied by him.   

 

“Sh-Shinji!!” She was panting hard by now, her glowing ochre eyes glazing over with lust, becoming increasingly frustrated as he continued to tease her mercilessly.

 

He lifted his head briefly to look at her, his golden gaze darkening at the alluring, wanton look on her face. “Patience, brat,” he told her huskily. “Wait for it.”

_Wait_ _for what_?? Hiyori wanted to ask, but then he was touching her breasts once more, putting his mouth to good use, one large but elegant hand coming up to cover the rest of her chest, sinfully long fingers plucking and playing with her other sensitive nipple, and then she could not think any longer, let alone form coherent words. He was rocking against her very slowly, settling down low between her parted thighs, and dimly, through the aching, distracting pleasure, it slowly occurred to her what he was doing.

 

He was bringing her to completion just by concentrating his attention on her breasts alone, and _damn it, it was working_.

 

Hiyori tossed her head from side to side and her stomach tightened when a particular hard swirl of his slick, agile tongue made her entire body jerk from the sheer intensity of the sensation, and her slim hips arched helplessly into his, the tingling pressure in her womb building more and more as he suckled her insistently in tandem to each lazy, unhurried roll of his sleek flanks, his fingers all but worshipping her breasts with as much fervor as his hot mouth, _and she was getting so fucking close_. She bit her lips hard enough to almost draw blood, her small hands fisting into the bedspread by her sides, her legs coming up to wrap around her lover’s waist, the expression on her flushed face one of urgent need, the taut little ball sitting in the pit of her belly drawing tighter and tighter, until she suddenly just came undone. 

 

She threw her head back and howled his name with brazen, unashamed sexual satisfaction, her small body seizing up as her orgasm gripped her in its powerful, pleasurable throes. It prompted him to bury himself fully inside of her, quickly releasing her reddened and tender nipple from the erotic torment of his mouth to muffle her cries of fulfillment with a hard kiss instead, gathering her into his arms as she writhed and her slick passage continued to ripple and contract helplessly around his rigid length.

 

She was still quivering, weak from her climax, when he started to move again, this time in search of his own release, and she could only cling to him as he whispered sweet nothings into her ear, her thighs trembling as they rode up against his hips, momentarily passive and docile as she remained tightly entwined with him, nuzzling his neck and chest blindly as he continued to make love to her. His movements slowly quickened as his own orgasm approached, and she moved along with him, her breathing escalating once more, shivers of pleasure shooting up her spine as she moaned softly, unable to ignore his sensual attention. Her innate physical reaction to him encouraged and hastened his impending sexual release, and when he finally came, thrusting into her one last time with a husky groan, she did too, her shuddering body welcoming his seed with such sweet, eager passion that he was completely mesmerized.

 

It was awhile before either of them could regain control of their senses. She remained completely limp under him even after her sexual high slowly started to die down, and the events of the day must have tired her out completely, for she did not even try to leave his side like she usually would, not that he had ever let her succeed before. Instead, Hiyori just yawned sleepily, flashing her little fang as she did so, then blinked drowsily and barely reacted when he wrapped an arm around her waist and reversed their positions, so that he was lying under her now and she did not have to bear the full brunt of his weight. Much to his pleasure, she just curled up against him, her head resting against the crook of his shoulder and a leg thrown over his in haphazard familiarity, and he kissed her crown in affection.

 

He was just beginning to settle into a light doze when she suddenly spoke, rousing him from the lazily contented, post coital mood that had sunk in.

 

“…Shinji,” she whispered his name with unusual hesitation, diligently avoiding his curious, searching gaze at the same time. “I’m really kinda…small, aren’t I?”

 

It took him a short moment to understand what she was talking about. Despite all of her earlier bravado, she was obviously feeling a bit self-conscious, even though she had been trying so hard not to show it. It was especially endearing that she was turning to him to ease her worries, and so he took her question seriously.

 

“I didn’t fall in love with you for just your breasts, Hiyori. Big or small, I’ll still adore them because they’re a part of you; I thought I just demonstrated that point well enough. Don’t worry your little head so much ‘bout it, stupid.”

 

Her face turned bright red then, and for a brief second there, he thought that she was going to start getting shouty with him again. Then, that moment passed, and she just ended up pressing her flushed cheeks into the side of his neck instead, hiding from his amused gaze and rendered speechless by his candid, matter-of-fact reply. He chuckled softly.

 

“So, even you can feel embarrassment, huh, brat?”

 

“S-Shut up!!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Poor Shinji, he’s always going to get teased by the UraYoru team, especially where Hiyori is concerned, ahaha. This plot idea came to me out of the blue, but I really liked how it turned out. Yoruichi and Urahara are such a joy to write – I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Erm yes, I’m not entirely sure how true it is, but it’s yet another urban legend that massaging the breasts can apparently increase their size. Well, it’s a running gag/saying over here in Asia, at least – if you want bigger boobs, get your lover to massage them for you every night, haha.

 

Also, (legend says that) papaya milk helps too - don’t ask me where Shinji heard that from, I have no idea myself.

 

…though I think the milk part might hold some merit in Bleach-verse. According to Bleach Wiki, one of Yoruichi’s favorite things to drink is milk, and well, that impressive bust speaks for itself, really. XD

 

FYI, Hiyori did start taking more milk-related products after this; I have no idea how effectively that turned out for her, though!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

I actually intended the second part of this fic to be an omake (hence the rather abrupt transition between the parts). But in the end, the omake became even longer than the original piece (largely in part due to the smut), and so I took off the omake label and just joined them together instead. Anyway, I hope some of you liked. =)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	7. Mother Knows Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3132

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 24/07/13

**Completed on:** 25/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 11/08/13

 

* * *

  **Mother Knows Best**  


* * *

 

“I really ‘ppreciate this. Kirio-san,” Shinji muttered as he led the way out of the Senkaimon and to the Living Realm. The large, plump woman beside him let out a loud, jovial laugh and wasted no time thumping him on the back with a meaty hand, nearly sending the Gobantai Taichou sprawling with the sheer force of her friendly tap.

 

“Don’t mention it!” the purple-haired Shinigami boomed. “I’ve always wanted to see Hiyori-chan again; now’s as good a time as any! My, it’s been so long since I last saw her; she must’ve grown into a beautiful young lady by now!”

 

Shinji had to smirk slightly at that. “She’s still an angry little chibi,” he remarked as he guided the Zerobantai member in the direction of the Vizard Warehouse. Kirio glanced at the blond man beside her; the affection in his tone was very obvious to her. Now that they were in the Living World, the Fifth Division Captain seemed less detached and bored looking, a particular gleam appearing in his golden eyes as his steps seemed to quicken towards his destination. He looked like a man who was finally coming home after a long stint away.

 

“You’ve been taking very good care of my Hiyori-chan, haven’t you, Hirako?” Kirio asked then, smiling.

 

“I try,” he replied wryly. “It’s a constant challenge, since she’s such a brat and an utter pain in the ass.”

 

Kirio eyed the other Captain with clear amusement in her gaze. There was no heat in his words whatsoever. “And yet you are still willing to put up with her after all these years.”

 

“Yeah, well,” the blonde acknowledged freely as he temporarily parted the barrier that Hachi had placed over the warehouse and allowed his fellow Shinigami to step through.

 

“She’s my brat and my pain in the ass now, after all.”

 

* * *

 

It was the tantalizing smell of food wafting through the warehouse that first alerted Hiyori to the fact that something weird was going on. With the sole exception of herself, none of the other remaining Vizards could cook well enough to save their lives – in the past, the chore was split between herself, Rose and Kensei – so it was definitely strange that her trained and sensitive nose could discern the mouthwatering aroma of what was definitely a traditional home cooked meal right now. Not to mention, Love, Hachi and Lisa were not in the warehouse at the moment, so the entire situation was certainly odd, to say the least.

 

Following the scent from the underground training area where she had been working on her Zanjutsu, the petite blonde slowly found herself walking towards the kitchen. The delicious smell of food grew even stronger as she approached, and Hiyori’s nose twitched. There was a familiar yet elusive nostalgia that inundated her senses, reminding her of much happier times long ago, yet the memories flitted teasingly out of her mind’s reach as she tried to remember. Her stomach growled with hunger, and there was an almost painful buildup of expectation as she drew nearer to the source of the mystery. She was walking as fast as her legs could carry her now, determined to find her answer now, urgent anticipation thrumming in her veins – _who are you?_

 

Rounding the last corner, Hiyori burst into the kitchen, and she froze almost immediately as she passed the threshold. Confusion briefly inundated her features as she stared at the unfamiliar figure standing at the stove – a large, heavyset woman with purple hair arranged in an up do, her back turned to the petite Vizard as she stirred the pot of miso soup and grilled the saba. Then, Hiyori dumbly turned her gaze to the spread of food on the table; teriyaki unagi, inari sushi, kakiage tempura, atsuyaki tamago, tonkatsu, all arranged with such delicate, precise artistry, the exquisite aroma and the familiar, beautiful presentation immediately triggering all sorts of long suppressed memories that she had kept buried deep within the recesses of her mind.

 

The unknown woman turned her head then, and Hiyori stared.

 

There was nothing remotely familiar about that face, plump and jovial, with contentedly smiling lips painted black, small swirls adorning fleshy cheeks, eyes squinted close. She looked like the female embodiment of _Hotei_ , the Laughing Buddha, but yet, something in Hiyori’s gut _lurched_ painfully when the stranger finally spoke.

 

“Hiyori-chan, I _knew_ that sharp nose of yours would lead you here!” the lady exclaimed, a hand still holding onto a wooden spoon. “Oh dear, _look at you_!! Have you been eating like I’ve always been telling you to, Hiyori-chan? You’re much too skinny, child! Hasn’t Hirako been feeding you properly?”

 

Even though the appearance was not the same, Hiyori would recognize that beloved voice anywhere.

 

“H-H-Hikifune…Taichou…?” she whispered, her eyes wide, trembling in shock. “Is that r-really…you?”

 

Kirio scooped out two bowls of miso soup and then deftly flipped the perfectly grilled mackerel onto the plate, quickly arranging the garnishing around it with expertise before she carried the tray of food to the table.

 

“Come, Hiyori-chan, you must be hungry. Let’s eat and talk at the same time,” the Zerobantai Kokuo spoke kindly, gesturing for the younger woman to join her. “I want to hear everything about your adventures in the Living Realm.”

 

It was her. It was really her. That demeanor, that reiatsu, and even that smile, they were all dear and familiar to Hiyori, even after more than a hundred years. The petite blonde quickly found herself overwhelmed by her feelings. Shock. Disbelief. Joy. She slowly took a small step forward, her eyes glimmering with her emotions. Then, once she started moving, she could not seem to stop. She was running before she knew it, flying right towards the woman whom she had always thought of as her surrogate mother. 

 

“Hikifune Taichou!”

 

Kirio just stood there and opened her arms as the younger woman ran straight into them, partially enveloped in the voluminous folds of her haori. The purple-haired female smiled sadly as she gently patted the quivering shoulders of her overwrought ex-Lieutenant as the latter clung to her like the young, scared child she used to be. “I’m sorry, Hiyori-chan,” Kirio sighed at last. “The past few years must have had been hard on you, child. Perhaps, if I hadn’t left-”  

 

Hiyori pulled back slightly and shook her head, interrupting the older woman before she could finish. “Nothing woulda changed, Hikifune Taichou. The same thing would still have happened. None of us saw Aizen’s betrayal comin’,” the pigtailed Vizard admitted out loud for the very first time, her gaze downturned. It had taken her decades to accept that fact and to stop blaming Hikifune Taichou for her self-perceived abandonment; what had happened had been nobody’s fault but that of Aizen and his crew, and now that the war was over and some form of closure had been achieved, Hiyori just wanted to get over this and get on with her life.

 

Nothing good ever came out of blaming others for one’s own misfortune; it didn’t make her feel better nor did it improve her life in any way, and she was only recently starting to let go of her resentment and feelings of betrayal towards Seireitei and the Gotei 13.

 

Slowly dropping her arms from her ex-superior, Hiyori took a step back to look at the rotund, kindly woman. “Hikifune Taichou, what’re you doing in the Living World?”

 

Kirio laughed lightly at that. “You may thank Hirako for arranging this visit. He went through a lot of trouble to create this opportunity for me to meet you.” 

 

After all, the purple-haired Shinigami was part of the Royal Guard now, one of the very few elites tasked with the responsibility to protect the Soul King, his family, and the Soul King Palace, and therefore it was rare for her to be granted leave from her duties. Shinji must have pulled in a lot of favors to make this trip possible for Hikifune.

 

Hiyori’s gaze softened in realization. Of course it would be him. “That stupid baldy…” she muttered, and Kirio smiled when she noticed the grudging affection in the girl’s tone.

 

“So, you are finally close with Hirako now, aren’t you, Hiyori-chan?” she teased. “I always knew that the two of you would end up together eventually.”

 

Hiyori reddened at that. “Hikifune Taichou!” she protested, blushing up a storm. It seemed that the fiery tempered young woman was both unwilling and unable to resort to her usual violent outbursts when it came to her respected parental figure, and as such, both of her hands (and legs) were tied.

 

“Has he looked after you well over the last century?” Kirio asked. “If he hasn’t, he and I are going to have words.”

 

Hiyori thought of all the times where her significant other had saved her over the years – from herself, from her Inner Hollow, from their enemies – never too overprotective or domineering that he suffocated her spirit and smothered her growth, but also never too far away that he could not step in at a moment’s notice to defend her should the need arise. It occurred to the petite blonde then that Shinji had been watching over her _for a very long time_. The blonde bowed her head slightly, her prickly pride (she could fight too and she did _not_ need to be protected) and flustered denials subsiding in deference to her instinctive need for Hikifune Taichou to approve of her chosen mate.

 

“He has,” she admitted very quietly at last, her cheeks pink.

 

“He’s a good man, then?” Kirio pressed.

 

Hiyori nodded slowly.

 

“He is,” she whispered, feeling uncharacteristically shy as a maiden now.

 

Kirio’s gaze softened. Hiyori-chan was really all grown up now, if she was capable of showing such a tender expression.

 

“Are you happy with him, Hiyori-chan?”

 

This time, Hiyori could not even speak, but just silently nodded her head once more. Kirio smiled.

 

“Then, I think you should hold tightly on to Hirako and not let go, ne?”

 

Hiyori was not even responding anymore, just staring mutely at the floor, her face burning at the discussion of this entirely uncomfortable topic. Her respected mother figure chuckled softly.

 

“Ara, our meal is getting cold. Let’s continue our talk over dinner, shall we?”

 

Hiyori was only too glad for the change in topic. Heading over to the table with the older woman in tow, they both took their seats. Kirio beamed at the much smaller blonde and immediately received a tiny little smile in return. Her ex-Fukutaichou was still so cute after all this time, and the purple-haired Shinigami could still remember when the former had first come to her as a very small child, and she had helped put up the young girl’s fluffy blonde hair in two absolutely adorable pigtails, a style that the young woman still faithfully kept to even now.

 

“Ah, Hiyori-chan, have you considered wearing your hair down? You’ve grown into such a pretty young woman, and I think that you’ll look utterly lovely in all sorts of hairstyles…”

 

* * *

 

It was nearing midnight when Shinji finally sensed Kirio’s departure from the Living Realm. He had been lingering over at Urahara’s, and the flare of reiatsu the other Shinigami had emitted in order to open the Senkaimon alerted him that her visit with Hiyori had finally drawn to an end. The Fifth Division Captain bid his own farewells to Urahara and slowly made his way back to the Vizard Warehouse.

 

Hiyori could be one of two things right now; either extremely happy or extremely upset, and as the one who had made the decision to bring Kirio to the Living Realm to meet her, Shinji felt obligated to check in on his lover. Hiyori had always regarded Kirio highly; the latter was the the only woman in the entirety of Soul Society and the Living World that the petite blonde would show utmost respect. A part of him had been tempted to stay behind to see Hiyori’s reaction to the meeting, but he had chosen to let the two catch up in private in the end. Kirio had always had a way with Hiyori after all, and he doubted the two women would need him around at all.

 

Easing his way quietly through Hachi’s barrier, he slipped into the warehouse that had been his home for decades and spread out his senses to locate his brat. It didn’t take him very long to find her. Her spiritual pressure buzzed dully against his consciousness, shaky, unstable, and it gave away her presence very easily.

 

Damn. So she was upset, after all.

 

Perhaps it wasn’t such a good idea to spring Kirio on her like this. She didn’t usually take well to surprises as a rule of thumb, but he had mistakenly assumed that she would make an exception this time for her beloved mother figure. Shinji found Hiyori in her bedroom, curled in a quiet little ball on her bed, her back facing him. He slipped the door shut behind him and slowly approached. She did not seem to register his presence, and he sat down on the edge of the mattress, then reached out to rest his hand on top of her head. She finally reacted then, rolling over slowly to look at him. Her eyes were bright, but she stared at him steadily.

 

“Hey,” he greeted softly, lightly running his fingers through her hair as he did so. There was no point in beating around the bush, and so he continued. “How are ya feelin’?”

 

She didn’t answer him. Instead, she grabbed his hand and pulled him into bed with her, and once he was lying down beside her, she climbed on top of him and collapsed into the circle of his arms as easily and as blithely as though she had always belonged there. Her hands came up to clutch onto his white haori even as she curled into him like a needy little child, and she tucked her face into the side of his neck as she drank in his presence. If he was surprised by her action, he was not protesting it in any way. Shinji did not mind holding her; he immediately wrapped his arms around her smaller frame, pulling her close against his lean, rangy form and letting her take refuge in his reassuring strength. He stroked her back slowly and she started to shake, still completely silent, and he stiffened when he felt a deluge of liquid warmth drench his neck.

 

Shit. _Shit_. She was crying. Hiyori didn’t cry, never cried, wasn’t supposed to cry. Shinji’s heart sank.

 

“Hiyori- _brat_ ,” the blonde man spoke, his voice tight with distress. He felt like he had just been punched right in the gut, and his heart quietly ached for her. “ _Don’t cry-_ ”

 

He shifted slightly as if to look at her, but she tightened her hold on him and refused to let him even move his head.

 

“Don’t look,” she snapped gruffly against the side of his throat, her voice weak and stuffy from her tears, but there was still a familiar irritable sharpness there, though perhaps more subdued right now. “Don’t fuckin’ look at me right now, dammit. Look away.”

 

She was still such a proud and prickly little thing even at this moment, but somehow, her familiar demeanor reassured him. Sighing inwardly, he turned his gaze to the ceiling but continued to hold her close, pressing her against him and rubbing her back in soothing motions. She slowly relaxed into his hold once more, her head on his shoulder, her fists unclenching against his haori, her tears falling silently like raindrops on his skin. She was very quiet when she cried, her shoulders trembling from her near silent sobs, and he had to strain his ears to catch the periodic hitch in her breathing, the tiny little sniffles she made as her nose tried to clear the congestion caused from her upset.

 

Every wheezing little noise she emitted tugged at his heartstrings in a very uncomfortable way. Shinji very quickly decided that he did not like this feeling at all.

 

“This was a really bad idea, huh?” he uttered after a while, self-deprecation in his tone. He was still lying flat on his back, his eyes fixed ahead of him, but she suddenly sat up, knocked aside his arm and roughly wiped away the remnants of her tears with the back of her hand. Her eyes were red rimmed from her earlier bout of crying but there was no trace of sadness to be found in those haunting ochre depths.

 

“…I never thought I’d see Hikifune Taichou again,” she told him at last, slowly, her voice slightly hoarse. There was stark honesty in her words though, and so he listened. “The last one hundred years…I missed her- I missed her so damn much,” Hiyori whispered tremulously with the sheer intensity of her emotions. She looked at him and swallowed hard. “But…you, you l-let m-me s-see her again, Shinji. I-I-” She could not speak further, for her tears started to flow again and she had to clap her hands over her face to hide them.

 

The stiff tension in his gut eased when he realized the reason why she was crying. He really did sigh out loud this time, tugging her back down to lie back beside him as he did so.

 

“Ya know, I never pegged ya ‘ta be the type ‘ta be so emotional,” he drawled drolly, only for her to start bristling defensively, instinctively offended by his statement. He ignored her and just pulled her close. “It’s okay ‘ta cry when you’re happy, stupid.” 

 

“D-Don’t c-call me stupid, s-stupid!” she snapped back at him, but the quiver in her voice told him that she had taken heed of his words. He did not look at her as she pressed her face into his shoulder, respecting her need not to appear weak in front of him, instead just lifting a narrow, long fingered hand to slowly stroke through her hair as she wet his haori with her overwhelming emotions. It was a testament of his love for her that he refrained from remarking over all the unsightly snot and bodily fluids that she was smearing on his clothes, and when her tears finally abated, he simply turned his head and kissed her forehead.

 

“Feel better now?” he asked.

 

Her cheeks warmed, and she nodded slightly.

 

“…Shin-ji,” she spoke huskily, hesitantly.  

 

“Yeah?”

 

“…T-Thanks,” she mumbled, her gaze downturned as she avoided looking at him. She sounded so uncharacteristically shy and embarrassed, and this side of her was simply adorable. She was such an exasperating little tsundere, and he was completely charmed by her. His gaze warmed with affection.

 

“You’re welcome, brat.”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

I got inspired to write this shot from a rather cute fanart depicting Hiyori and Hikifune. I believe that Hiyori still respects and loves her ex-Taichou very much even after all these years, since she has always regarded the older woman as her esteemed mother figure when she was growing up. Shinji’s little surprise had completely shaken her, not that she could be blamed.

 

…I’d be pretty emotional too if I was suddenly able to meet my mother whom I had never expected to see after more than a hundred years (mostly because we’d both be dead by then, but still).

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Headcanon: thanks to Hikifune’s influence, Hiyori is a _superbly_ good cook. She also possesses an acutely sensitive palate and a very sharp sense of smell to go with too, and her natural abilities make her an extremely gifted individual in the culinary arts. In fact, despite her tomboyish appearance and demeanor, she’s the best at cooking out of the entire Vizards and could also probably trump a good portion of Karakura town and Seireitei while she’s at it as well, though this is a pretty well-kept secret since cooking isn’t really Hiyori’s burning passion and she would only do it for the people she cares deeply for.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	8. Hiyori, Drunk - Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 1731

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 26/07/13

**Completed on:** 26/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 12/08/13

 

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Part I**

* * *

 

He had been teasing her for _hours_ now.

 

It had been a couple of months since he last came to the Living Realm; winter had always been a busy period for the entire Goteijusantai as all the individual divisions were bogged down by the tedious annual auditing and inspection process to keep operations in check and ensure that all the squads were being run properly and efficiently. Apparently, the Sanbantai, the Gobantai and the Kyuubantai had only very recently cleared all of their overwhelming bureaucratic obligations, allowing their Vizard Captains (and the female Ninth Division Lieutenant) to slip back to Karakura town for a short visit with their comrades. Hiyori would never openly admit it, but it had been good to catch up with the others as well, with Yoruichi, Urahara and Tessai added into the mix, though the golden-haired baldy beside her had been making it extremely difficult for her to concentrate on the conversation flowing around the table.

 

His very presence alone was already distracting enough, and since they were all gathered around a kotatsu in the Urahara Shoten, food and sake flowing freely, his close proximity to her also meant that she could acutely sense his warmth and familiar, masculine scent as he sat close to her, their thighs touching and her shoulder brushing against his arm, and it was slowly driving her crazy. Then, there was also the fact that his hand was resting on her knee under the table, and even as he was very nonchalantly responding to and interacting with the rest, those sinfully long fingers of his were lazily caressing her leg through the fabric of her tracksuit.

 

For Hiyori, who had not been touched by him for quite some time, this form of teasing was sweet torture. A small part of her was infuriated by the fact that she was becoming so weak to his acts of affection that she could not even bring herself to pull away from his hand, while the rest of her just wanted to shove him to the floor, climb on top of him, and have her wicked way with him right there. Not surprisingly, the conflicting emotions of irritation and desire made her very edgy and jumpy, though since she usually appeared quite moody, no one found her behavior out of place at all. Hiyori was mostly quiet as she hunkered over her plate and turned her full concentration on eating and drinking, vaguely listening to the others as they chatted around her and replying every once in a while to words that were directed at her, completely avoiding even looking at her lover as she did so.

 

Shinji, on the other hand, was ever the consummate social butterfly, never missing a beat as he easily interacted with the people around him, even very casually directing some of his banter towards Hiyori, who could not even look at him and just mumbled her responses to the dishware in front of her, much to his amusement.

 

“Why’re ya so quiet today, brat?” he asked teasingly, propping his elbow on the table and idly resting his cheek against his palm as he watched her shovel her food into her mouth and quickly chase it down with large enthusiastic gulps of her drink.

 

“Perhaps, if you take your hand off of her leg, Shinji, then maybe Hiyori’ll be more willing to speak to you,” Lisa remarked rather flatly from the other side of the petite blonde then, and the other Shinigami and Vizards who overheard the exchange showed varying expressions of amusement and exasperation. The Fifth Division Captain’s affection towards his lover was hardly a secret to this group, and as such, he was completely shameless and unapologetic about it, tossing a lazy, unbothered smirk at the lot of them.

 

“Hiyori ain’t complaining,” Shinji remarked slyly. It was obvious that he was asking for a beating from his other half, and the rest of the group waited for the trigger happy young woman to gladly comply. 

 

Imagine their collective surprise when petite Vizard just _blushed_. It wasn’t just a light, near imperceptible smattering of pink, but a full on, maidenly flush that turned her small face bright red. The visibly flustered female just took up her cup and completely drained its contents before setting it back on the table with a loud thump.

 

Even Shinji was taken aback by her suspicious lack of an explosive reaction. His golden eyes narrowed slightly.

 

“Brat?” There was an unspoken question in his sobering tone, and she finally lifted her head to look at him. Her catlike ochre eyes were large and wide, her pupils dilated, her cheeks red, and she blinked languidly at him. Shinji quickly froze – he had seen that look before, a long time ago.  

 

“Shinji…?” she murmured dazedly, and then, she just leaned over to him and plopped her forehead against his arm, turning her hot face towards him and rubbing her burning cheek against the cool material of his Captain haori with a sigh of relish, a small, disarmingly cute kittenish churr escaping her mouth even as her hands came up to clutch onto his sleeve.

 

Yoruichi shook her head with disappointment. “Hiyori-chan’s such a lightweight,” the cat woman remarked, even as Lisa peered at the empty sake flask beside the young woman’s cup.

 

“She only had one flask the whole night,” the ebony haired, bespectacled Vizard observed calmly. “I’d never guess that Hiyori had such poor tolerance.”

 

Shinji looked horrified. “You gave her _alcohol_?” he demanded, outraged. “I thought that was just a soft drink!” He had not paid attention to what she had been chugging down for the past few hours, mainly because her drink had been placed on Lisa’s side all this while.  
  
Both women appeared remarkably unconcerned for having corrupted the innocent. “I don’t know how old you think Hiyori is, Shinji,” Lisa commented, “but she has been over the legal drinking age for a very long time, and besides, it was only one flask of sake.”

 

“Only one flask-” Shinji broke off, looking visibly alarmed. The last time, it had taken only two small ochoko cups to down her, and since he had been careful to keep her away from any types of alcohol after that _interesting_ experience, he highly doubted that she had built up any tolerance whatsoever.

 

Kisuke coughed then. “Anou, Lisa-san, it’s not an issue of age. Hiyori-san has an _interesting_ reaction to alcohol.” The bucket hat wearing Urahara would know, being the other person who had been on hand the last time Hiyori got drunk.

 

“That’s why I never let her drink,” Shinji muttered as he placed an arm around Hiyori’s shoulder, the latter who was now curled up at his side like a docile kitten, looking at the rest of them with sleepy eyes. 

 

“In Lisa’s defense,” Rose interjected calmly then, “you never told us any of this before, Shinji.”

 

The Gobantai Taichou rolled his eyes slightly in exasperation. “Yeah, well, if I told you guys, how much do ya wanna bet that those two-” there, he inclined his head towards Mashiro and Lisa, “-would immediately try to get Hiyori drunk just to see what I’m talkin’ ‘bout?”

 

The green haired Lieutenant just giggled impishly whereas her black-haired counterpart didn’t even bother to deny it. “You’ve made me very curious now, Shinji,” Lisa stated, and the blonde man sighed. He gracefully unfolded his lean frame from his seat, tugging an unresisting Hiyori along with him as he did so.

 

“Well, that’s it for us,” he announced. “We’re goin’ back. This fella’s down for the count anyway; I’m takin’ her home.”

 

“Are you coming back later?” Kensei asked.

 

“Nah.” Shinji shook his head, supporting his lover’s weight easily with one arm as she leaned against him, then hid her flushed features with the flowing sleeve of his haori as he drew her close. She immediately pressed her face into his chest, and her hands came up to grab the lapels of his shihakusho. “No offense to you guys, but I’d rather stay with Hiyori.”

 

“None taken, Ero-Shinji,” came the returning chorus, and he scowled at the lot of them for the stupid nickname. The irritated man looked like he wanted to take issue with his idiotic friends, but one look at the increasingly inebriated female in his arms immediately changed his mind. Shinji muttered his goodbyes and took his leave with Hiyori.

 

“He’s pretty whipped, isn’t he?” Love remarked after the couple had left.

 

Kensei grunted. “She’s always had him by the balls, so I don’t see how anything has changed at all.”

 

“I think it’s cute,” Mashiro threw in her two cents then. “Shinji has always been sweet on his Hiyori-chan!”

 

“Kisuke,” Lisa interjected then, “what happens when Hiyori gets drunk? You seem to know something.”

 

The ex-Captain shrugged. “If I remember correctly, Hiyori-san becomes very…emotional.”

 

“Emotional?” Yoruichi repeated with a raised brow. “Do you just mean that her inhibition is completely shot, Kisuke? That’s pretty normal for drunk people.”

 

“No,” the Urahara replied. “It’s not like that at all. When I say ‘emotional,’ I do mean ‘emotional,’ and it’s the cute, defenseless little baby animal type of ‘emotional.’ Shinji and I sure were surprised when we first found out about Hiyori-san’s unusual reaction to alcohol.”

 

The gathering of Vizards and Shinigami paused and tried to picture the ornery and quick tempered Hiyori they knew as ‘cute _and_ defenseless.’ They failed completely.

 

“…That’s good, isn’t it?” Hachi commented cautiously at last. “They are lovers, after all. If it’s like that, I can understand why Hirako Taichou is reluctant for other people to see Hiyori in that state.”

 

Kisuke took a sip of his sake. “The really interesting thing was, Hiyori-san didn’t remember a thing the next day.”

 

“ _Ah_.” Came the collective response. That _was_ a problem.

 

“So, how did you guys deal with Hiyori-chan the last time?” Yoruichi asked then.

 

Kisuke shrugged again. “I didn’t. I had just recently become a Captain at that time and wasn’t very close with Hiyori-san yet. Shinji took care of it.”

 

There was a brief pause as everyone took the time to digest the information.

 

“Well then, in that case, everything turned out as it should,” Rose ventured. “Shinji’s always the best at taking care of Hiyori; it’s just as well that they ended up together.”

 

And no one could disagree with that.

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Headcanon: Hiyori is a complete lightweight when it comes to alcohol. She’s so bad with it that just a bit would get her completely out of her usual frame of mind. It’s not that implausible, really, if you consider her physical weight and height. People who are smaller/shorter has less blood volume in their bodies, and since level of alcohol intoxication is measured by percentage of alcohol in the blood, it make senses that a smaller person would only need to take a smaller amount of alcohol to have the same blood alcohol content (BAC) as a larger/taller person.

 

Do keep in mind that BAC is not a measure of alcohol tolerance though – the latter varies from person to person, and let’s just say that Hiyori’s is nearly non-existent.

 

And okay, so I probably exaggerated it a bit, but come on, Bleach is a series full of flying supernatural beings and magic swords – I think I’m entitled to a bit of exaggeration here, haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As for Hiyori’s reaction to being drunk, well, that’s another headcanon for the next chapter – I won’t spoil it for you guys yet.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And yes, Ero-Shinji is the new nickname that the other Vizards and exiled Shinigami had taken to calling him. Shinji is not amused.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, in other news, I’m very excited to announce that ‘Lily and Thistle’ has received its second fanart, made by the sweet and lovely lilithkiss on tumblr. I have linked the piece (as always, it can be found on my profile page, under ‘Fanarts’), so do have a look if you are free. lilithkiss has also other amazing ShiYori works on her blog, so go check her out, and do remember to leave a nice comment if you like her works!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	9. Hiyori, Drunk - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2799

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 27/07/13

**Completed on:** 28/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 14/08/13

 

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Part II**

* * *

 

Shinji managed to get Hiyori back to the warehouse without too much trouble. She was slightly groggy and unfocused, and therefore put up no resistance as he brought her home. She was quiet and clingy when inebriated, content to stay close to him, and was completely docile and compliant when he gave her a glass of water to drink. Her obedience and the lack of a struggle would have thrown him in for a loop if not for the fact that this had happened before, and therefore he simply gave in to the inevitable when they got to her bedroom and she dragged him into bed with her.

 

His brat pushed him onto the mattress and then wasted no time wiggling determinedly into his arms, curling into his side like a little cat and affectionately nuzzling her warm face into the side of his throat. She exhaled with contentment and relaxed in his hold, openly happy to cuddle with him.

 

“You smell really good,” she mumbled, sighing softly with pleasure near his ear, deeply taking in his scent, a perfect blend of his cologne and the earthy masculine musk of him, now tinted with the slightest hint of sake, her hands tightening into the folds of his kosode as she pressed herself even closer to him.

 

Shinji was slightly amused by her remark; she had pretty much said the same thing the last time around too. Hiyori was so defensive and prickly most of the time, and it was hardly surprising that she seldom made mention of her preferences unless she happened to be out of her usual frame of mind – like now.

 

Hiyori suddenly sat up then, pushing herself upright and fanning herself agitatedly with a limp hand as she did so. “Am hot,” she complained, and then she was tugging at her red jacket, pulling it off of herself and tossing it haphazardly onto the floor, leaving only her thin white tank top on as she went on to fiddle with her track pants. Peeling off the heavy material and kicking her bottoms off of the bed as well, she was about to follow it up with the removal of her plain white panties when he quickly grabbed her hands and pulled her back down against his chest instead.

 

“No, brat,” he told her huskily. “Your underwear stays on tonight; at least have some mercy on me.”

 

Hiyori frowned at him but thankfully did not take issue with his refusal to let her continue to strip. Besides, all of her thicker clothes had already been shed, and she was starting to cool down. The smaller blonde tilted her head to watch her lover instead, looking at him with bright, fascinated eyes. Then, she reached out to touch his fringe.

 

“You have pretty hair,” she blurted out suddenly, fingering the fine golden strands with obvious interest. Already resigned to his fate, he allowed her to lean over him to play with his long, fine bangs, though eventually, her attention fell onto his handsome, aristocratic face. Her glowing ochre gaze studied him intently, her hand lowering from his forehead to softly caress his cheek. Her touch was unexpectedly gentle, her fingers lightly tracing over his skin; the bridge of his nose, his sharp cheekbones, his lips. She was still flushed from the alcohol, and the expression on her face was incredibly tender and attentive as she watched him. As her lover, he could not help but to instinctively react to her look of feminine interest and desire.

 

Hiyori slowly dipped her head towards his until their mouths were nearly touching, and then, she whispered with pure, sweet affection. “I love you, Shinji.”

 

His breath caught involuntarily, his pupils dilating at her earnest, candid confession, and before he could respond to it, she was kissing him. Slowly, softly, lovingly. She was lying on top of him now, chest to chest, her small hands framing his face, holding him still as she kissed him with exquisite fervor, and he was gently overcome by her brand of innocent seduction. Her lips rubbed against his teasingly, her soft, wet tongue licking eagerly at his mouth, and his good intentions promptly marched right out the front door. His blood quickly heated in his veins and his arms went around her immediately, pulling her close as he hungrily devoured her mouth, sucking and nipping gently, coaxing her lips apart and sweeping his own pierced tongue in to tangle with hers. She groaned throatily and arched slightly against him, helpless to resist the onslaught of his growing passion, her hands sliding down from his face to his shoulders, then tugging clumsily at his kosode, trying to rid him of his uniform.

 

_She was simply intoxicating_. They hadn’t been together for months and he had missed her, badly. Her scent and warmth and presence surrounded him and he was lost in the sensual promise of her body and her ready, utterly receptive responses. The way she moved against him, the needy, desirous want and focus she had on him, the feel of her warm mouth and her fervent touch, they all did things to him no other women could, like so many little tenterhooks that dug deeply under his skin and bound him to her in a way that he never wanted to be free of. She was his weakness, his Achilles’ heel, the chink in his armor. He had always been drawn to her even from the very beginning; she was mesmerizing, her fierce spirit captivating, and…

 

She was also completely _drunk_.

 

The reminder was like a splash of icy water to his fevered, enraptured senses, and Shinji was briefly dazed by the speed in which his desire for her had taken hold of him. He pulled away from her slightly only for her to grunt in protest and strain towards him to close the distance once more, and the way she was suckling so sweetly on his tongue made heady lust roar through him like a freight train. _Good god_. If they didn’t stop right now, then he wasn’t going to be able to hold back his overwhelming urge for her for very long.

 

He quickly rolled her onto her back underneath him and finally broke the kiss with a regretful groan, much to her little whimper of displeasure.

 

“Shinji!”

 

The Shinigami Captain dodged his lover’s attempt to grab him by pinning her down firmly, and then he laid his forehead against her shoulder, his breathing slightly faster than usual, and it took him at least a minute to recompose himself.

 

“…Shinji?” the woman lying beneath him asked questioningly then. “Why did you stop?”

 

He lifted his head to look at her and instantly regretted it. Her feline eyes were still bright with need and passion, her small mouth red and kiss swollen, a lovely flush smudging her cheeks, and right now everything about her was encouraging him to ravish her until they were both utterly exhausted from the act. He shook his head to dispel the all too attractive notion, trying to quell his arousal at the same time. It wasn’t going all too well, what with the object of his desire so near him and looking entirely too willing to fulfill his every fantasy and want. 

 

“You’re drunk, brat,” he told her gruffly at last. “I’m not gonna touch you like this.”

 

She looked at him. And _pouted_. He stiffened. His head was still spinning slightly at how differently she was behaving. This was really not what had happened the last time he and Kisuke accidentally got her inebriated. Her reaction had been more childlike and innocent back then, but now there was an unexpectedly seductive quality in her responses, and it was slowly driving him crazy.

 

“Why?” she demanded, looking quite sulky at the same time. It was somehow cute and incredibly sexy at the same time.

 

“‘Cause you aren’t gonna remember a damn thing tomorrow, that’s why,” he informed her flatly. “I won’t make love to you when you’re inebriated.”

 

“You don’t know that,” she protested, and he just gave her a look. Unfortunately, he was Taichou for a reason, and despite his sometimes comical levity and behavior, actually possessed far more self-control and discipline than she could ever challenge him for.

 

“No means no,” he told her, perhaps more curtly than necessary, but he was incredibly tense himself – she was completely inviting and pliant under him and it was a challenge to resist her sensual offer. “Consider this your punishment for drinking and getting yourself drunk, brat.”

 

Then, Hiyori did something that he did not expect at all.

 

Her eyes filled with tears, much to his stunned horror. The deep, soulful ochre depths were huge and accusatory as she looked at him

 

“You don’t love me at all, do you?” Her voice hitched pitifully as she asked him the utterly ridiculous question, though as he looked at her incredulously, it became obvious to him that her upset was very real.

 

Large droplets of saline sadness flowed down her cheeks even as he gawked at her in shock. What. The. Hell.

 

_What the ever loving hell?!!_

 

“You just don’t want to touch me,” she insisted with pure hurt, suddenly looking like a wounded fawn, much to his increasingly bewilderment. Was this really his brat? “You don’t love me at all, even though I love you so much.”  

 

Shinji blinked slowly. _O-kay_. Okay, he should have known that something was wrong with her the moment she suddenly confessed her love for him. That had _never_ happened before, and he had let himself get carried away in the moment of blissful confusion.

 

“Did you hit your head just now or somethin’, Hiyori?” he demanded then, and she looked so betrayed by his apparent lack of regard for her tender feelings that she ended up crying harder.

 

“Shinji, you meanie!!” she wailed, pounding on his shoulders with her small fists. “You poopy head! I hate you!!”

 

… _Poopy…head??_ He thought ludicrously even as he barely felt her attack on him. Hiyori _never_ pulled her punches, but these right now were so completely weak that even a little girl could hit harder than this. Not for the first time, he wondered if this woman was really his lover. Even her speech pattern was different. _What was going on?_

 

“We’re breaking up right now, since I’m so hideous to you!” she cried, successfully clawing her way free from his grasp, loosened by his dumbfounded surprise. Swiping the back of her hand against her tearing eyes, she clambered clumsily across the bed and swung her feet onto the ground, preparing for her flight from his presence.

 

Her reiatsu was turbulent with agitation – the signature of the familiar spiritual pressure was clearly hers and not that of an imposter – and he slowly began to realize the truth.

 

She was just intoxicated – _really intoxicated_ – and this was the personality that was unleashed when she was not in control of herself. It was still his Hiyori, just a facet of her personality that he was not very familiar with, and with that in mind, he reached out and snagged her arm before she could run off, pulling her back towards him and simply absorbing her weak struggles as he lowered his head and kissed the side of her neck.

 

“Stop it, brat,” he told her, wry affection filtering into his tone. Even when inebriated, she was still a handful; she was such a weird little thing but he didn’t think that he would ever lose interest in her.

 

“Don’t call me brat!” She tried to shove him away but to no avail. “Why do you always call me by such an awful nickname?!”

 

He was really nonplussed by this overly sensitive side of her, but she was still sniffling rather pitifully, and his heart squeezed with guilt at staining that adorable face with tears. “Alright, I’ll stop,” he improvised quickly. “But you’re not goin’ anywhere; you can’t run off with my heart still in your possession, luv.”

 

His words seemed to have an effect on her, for she stilled and looked at him with large teary eyes which he was quickly finding himself completely weak to. _She was so damn_ … _cute_. He pulled her onto his lap and tucked her head under his chin. Unlike the normal prickly Hiyori, this current version was actually more than willing to be babied by him. Shinji had no idea what to make of this entirely strange situation. Still, this was literally a once-in-a-century event, so he might as well not think too much and just try to make the best out of it. “Don’t cry, Hiyori,” he murmured, affection swelling in his chest for the quivering bundle of femininity in his arms. “I’m sorry, alright?”

 

She said nothing for a while, but just when he was beginning to think that perhaps she had nodded off on him, she abruptly spoke.

 

“Sing for me,” Hiyori demanded. “I want to hear you sing.”

 

Shinji stilled in surprise. “Sing? You want me ‘ta sing?” he repeated slowly, as if in disbelief, and she turned her head up to look at him.

 

“You sang last time,” she pointed out. “Sakura Sakura. I remember. I want you to sing again.”

 

Last time? Sing…again? And _that song_ …there was only one time where he had sung it to her, and that was a very long time ago, _when she was drunk_. Suddenly, Shinji realized something. He stared at the smaller blonde in shock. “You…remembered.”

 

Or rather, this hidden side of her had never forgotten. In response, Hiyori just laid her head back down on his shoulder and expectantly waited for him to begin.

 

Shinji was very bemused and equally fascinated, but he did not deny her request. Clearing his throat, he briefly recalled the stanzas, and then cradling her tenderly to his chest, he lowered his head and started to sing quietly and slowly, huskily whispering the words of the folksong in deference to the proximity of her ear.

 

_Sakura sakura_

_Noyama mo sato mo_

_Mi-watasu kagiri_

_Kasumi ka kumo ka_

_Asahi ni niou_

_Sakura sakura_

_Hana zakari_

_Sakura sakura_

_Yayoi no sora wa_

_Mi-watasu kagiri_

_Kasumi ka kumo ka_

_Nioi zo izuru_

_Izaya izaya_

_Mini yukan_

 

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_

_In fields and villages_

_As far as you can see._

_Is it a mist, or clouds?_

_Fragrant in the morning sun._

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_

_Flowers in full bloom._

_Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms,_

_Across the spring sky,_

_As far as you can see._

_Is it a mist, or clouds?_

_Fragrant in the air._

_Come now, come now,_

_Let's look, at last!_

 

It was more of a lyrical recital than a song actually, with the way he went about it, but his low, deep tenor was lulling and soothing, and just like last time over a century ago, the sound of his voice slowly calmed her agitation and made her stop crying. She turned her face into his throat and nuzzled him drowsily, her small hands clutching loosely onto his kosode, her eyes starting to slowly slide shut. He projected tranquility and safety, and she could not help but to react to it, relaxing more and more in his arms until she was all but draped bonelessly over him, and she sighed very softly.

 

By the time he finished singing, she was already fast asleep. Shinji’s golden gaze was soft with affection as he watched over his slumbering lover, and he was exquisitely gentle as he removed her hair pins and freed her hair from its pigtailed constraints. Then, he moved to lay her down on the bed, and she stirred slightly when he made to pull away. Her hand came up to wrap around his wrist, and her ochre eyes opened briefly, showing mild confusion and the beginnings of a small frown.

 

“Where’re you goin’?” she asked in a little bleary whimper. “Don’t go. Stay.”

 

“I’m not goin’ anywhere,” he assured her, and true to form, he started to remove his white haori and vest, draping the heavy fabric against a nearby chair alongside with his cravat before he climbed back into bed to rejoin her, dressed only in his black shihakusho this time, lying on his side beside her and curling his lean frame around her smaller one. She wiggled around to face him and burrowed her way into his arms, leaning in close and resting her head against his shoulder, fitting herself comfortably to his body. Stretching up slightly, she brushed a small, affectionate kiss against his chiseled jaw before settling back down to sleep.

 

“Love you,” she whispered very quietly into his neck before she finally nodded off, out like a light. Shinji tilted down and kissed the top of her head.

 

“I love you too, my Hiyori.”

 

* * *

**Omake **

 

He woke to the sound of her disgruntled swearing the next day. She was obviously grumpy and experiencing some level of discomfort judging by the general content of her mutters, and he would not be surprised if she was slightly hung-over from her adventures the previous night – the little lightweight. She was also squirming against him in increasing agitation and unceremoniously jabbing her sharp elbows into his side, and at last he just drew her even closer to him to quell her movements.

 

“Good mornin’, luv,” he murmured in a voice husky from sleep, languidly cracking open a golden eye to look at her. She scowled cantankerously up at him. Huh, it seemed that she was back to her normally grouchy, short tempered self.

 

“How many times must I tell ya; don’t call me that,” she snapped sharply only to wince when the sound of her own shrill voice jarred her aching head. She looked pretty miserable, overall. Slightly amused over her misfortune, Shinji propped his elbow on the bed and rested his chin on the flat of his palm to watch her.

 

“Head hurts?” he enquired lazily, and he sounded so completely unsympathetic to her discomfort that she just glowered at him. He ignored the evil eye she was sending his way and continued, lightly tapping her temple with his long index and middle digits as he did so. “That’s why you shouldn’t drink, stupid. Do you remember what happened last night?”

 

She slapped his hand away from her irritably, not in the mood for his teasing. “Don’t call me stupid, shithead,” she growled lowly, and he humored her by patting her head, much to her increasing outrage. “Stop that!!” She cringed once again when her voice hurt her head and he took pity on her this time, pulling her close and nuzzling her with affectionate apology, absorbing her struggles even though she hissed and sputtered, holding her and waiting patiently until she reluctantly settled in his arms.

 

“You don’t remember a thing, do ya?” he asked, his voice pitched low in deference to her current sensitive condition.  

 

She grumbled sourly. “I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout. Stop yappin’, my head hurts.”

 

He ignored her and continued. “That’s a pity, ya know. Because you were hella entertaining last night; ya sure ya don’t wanna talk ‘bout it?”

 

At his extremely amused tone, alarm bells started to ring in her head. Hiyori was not one to back off so easily though. The petite female turned her face up to scowl at her lover. “If you’re gonna say somethin’, just say it. I’m gonna beat it outta ya if you keep stallin’,” she snapped.

 

He shrugged elegantly at her touchy ferocity. “Well then, if you insist,” he remarked with a deliberate nonchalance that just drove her blood pressure straight up. “You were very busy last night, brat. You professed your love ‘ta me no less than three times, and you kept tryin’ ‘ta molest me and I had ‘ta stop ya from takin’ off all of your clothes. You got pretty emotional after that – and by ‘emotional’ I mean that you got all weepy and dramatic and stuff – ya sure surprised me.”

 

Hiyori froze in disbelief and looked aghast at his flat, deadpan account. “No,” she muttered, embarrassment threatening to take over her. “You’re lying. I couldn’t have-”

 

“You sure did,” he cut her off before she could finish denying his words. “You also called me very cute names like ‘meanie’ and ‘poopy head,’ and then you insisted that I give you a nicer nickname other than ‘brat’ – I started callin’ you ‘luv,’ by the way, which seemed to make you quite happy-” Hiyori flushed horribly at that. “-and then-”

 

“You’re not done yet?” she cried out, horrified. She was also trying to subtly wiggle away from him in obvious mortification, but he was not having any of it. He was determined that she suffer through the consequences of her actions, no matter how embarrassing she found them to be. He cut her a bland look.

 

“You were _very_ busy, brat,” he emphasized drolly, before going back to his recital of a night in the life of Sarugaki Hiyori, Inebriated Edition. Hiyori groaned and finally quit trying to escape, accepting that he wasn’t going to let her get away with whatever she had done this time. She thunked her head against her lover’s shoulder, who was enjoying this far too much for his own good, damn him. “You were being really cute and cuddly too; it was really adorable.” The smaller blonde twitched at being described as ‘cute,’ ‘cuddly,’ and ‘adorable.’ “Ah, you also demanded that I serenade you to sleep.”

 

That was the last straw.

 

Hiyori lifted her head quickly to glare at Shinji once again, most of her headache dissipating by now to be replaced by immeasurable chagrin. “You’re makin’ all this up, aren’t ya?” she demanded, bullishly trying to bluster her way through the situation as usual. “You’re just pullin’ bullshit right outta your ass. There’s no way-”

 

His golden eyes sharpened. “Isn’t there?” he challenged her in a mild but even tone. “Do _you_ remember what happened last night? Is there any way for you to refute anything I say?”

 

Hiyori’s mouth snapped shut. He had her there. She could not remember a damn thing at all, and the realization was…unsettling, to say the least. Shinji rapped his knuckles lightly against her head. She yelped in protest.  

 

“You can’t hold your liquor at all, brat, and worse still, you’re also completely vulnerable when you’re drunk. See now why I have such a huge issue with you drinking alcohol? Don’t make me worry, stupid.”

 

Hiyori scowled, doing her best to ignore the concern in his tone. “I didn’t know it was alcohol, alright! I thought it was just a new type of soft drink – and it tasted weird, too.”

 

His brow twitched at her reply. “You thought that it was a _soft drink_?” Shinji didn’t know whether to be amused or disturbed by her naiveté. “Be more aware next time, and if something tastes weird, don’t just keep drinking it, little idiot! This is the second time already!”

 

She punched him hard in the shoulder then, her tolerance for his awful brand of pet names for her already at its limit. “Quit calling me that, shithead!” Then, sobering slightly, she immediately questioned. “What do you mean by ‘second time already?’”

 

Shinji just scrutinized the irritated female enigmatically. At last, he gave her a flippant shrug.

 

“If you don’t remember, then I ain’t tellin’.”

 

“ _Hage Shinji_!!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Headcanon: Hiyori’s default operating mode is ‘Tsundere.’ However, exposure to alcohol will unlock the special hidden ‘dere dere Hiyori’ mode. This mode must be approached with extreme caution and constant supervision, for even though the Graphical User Interface suddenly becomes extremely User Friendly, it is also extremely sensitive, and any rough handling or wrong approach will immediately result in partial system breakdown, emotional tantrums and lots of tears – usually on both sides.

 

(For those who do not know, dere dere means ‘lovey lovey’ in Japanese.)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

…To be honest, Shinji’s kind of afraid of the Hiyori: Lovey Lovey Model.

 

He’s just thankful that Hiyori is not like that most of the time and that when she is, she doesn’t remember a thing after a good sleep.

 

(Because dere dere Hiyori is so cute that Shinji becomes utter putty in her hands, and it’s even more difficult than usual to say ‘no’ to her when she wants something.)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Dere dere Hiyori is basically the same as Tsundere Hiyori but somewhat different at the same time.

 

Tsundere Hiyori is more emphatic and forceful in getting what she wants, whereas Dere dere Hiyori frowns on violence and uses her cute feminine wiles to get her way instead. Dere dere Hiyori is rather ladylike, speaks in proper sentences and does not swear, whereas Tsundere Hiyori is a tomboy, speaks in Kansai-ben and is a swearing machine.

 

Both are equally scary and determined to get their way no matter what, though, so I kind of feel a bit sorry for Shinji, ahaha.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

…And why do I suddenly feel like I’m writing a user manual?

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Moving on…Yes, as hinted in the omake and the previous chapter, this double-shot will link to the next miniseries (also another double-shot) that will briefly take us back a hundred years plus a decade and a bit more, to the ‘Turn Back The Pendulum’ arc where the first part of this whole story originally started. Shinji and Hiyori share such a long history together that I cannot help but take advantage of their bond and try to fill in the blanks with some of my many headcanons.

 

Anyway, please look forward to it!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

The song that Shinji sang to Hiyori is called ‘Sakura Sakura’ (さくら さくら, ‘Cherry blossoms, cherry blossoms’). It is a traditional Japanese folk song, dating back to the Edo period, depicting spring, the season of cherry blossoms. For those who are interested in listening to the song, please visit Wikipedia (you can search for the relevant page on Google using the tag ‘Sakura Sakura’ – it’s the very first result), they have a really nice adaptation of it.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	10. Hiyori, Drunk - Turn Back the Pendulum Edition, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2766

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 29/07/13

**Completed on:** 29/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 18/08/13

 

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Turn Back the Pendulum Edition, Part I**

* * *

 

It was Spring, and Hanami in Seireitei was unrivaled in Soul Society. Entire stretches of training fields bloomed with color, a stunning riot of gorgeous pinks and whites that took over the foliage and filled the air with the light, sweet scent of abundantly blossoming Sakura and Ume. The view was simply spectacular and beyond compare to anything that the Living Realm could offer, especially at the height of the season, and even in the evenings, the flowering cherry and plum trees were breathtaking to behold, their hauntingly delicate colors brought out by the flickering paper lanterns that lit up the training grounds, easily beguiling anyone who walked under them.

 

For most of the seated officers of the Gotei 13, this was a time to make merry and get legitimately drunk. Hanami season was a traditional festival that was officially recognized and observed by Seireitei as a whole, and most of the Shinigami usually took full advantage of it. During the month or so of festivities and celebrations, duties were noticeably light, and everyone’s moods generally became just a little more relaxed and laidback as the spirit of the season overtook them.

 

Lounging in a lit pavilion overseeing a tranquil lakeside lined with blooming Sakura one particular evening were the two Taichou of the Gobantai and the Juuniibantai, Hirako Shinji and Urahara Kisuke. Delicate porcelain flasks of sake and drinking saucers along with bowls of traditional Japanese snacks of senbei, kaki no tane and nuts were spread across the stone table between the two men as they met up for _yozakura_ , taking the opportunity to socialize and interact with likeminded comrades outside of the usual constraints of work and division related responsibilities.

 

“It’s a pity that Yoruichi has to attend to her duties to her clan this evening,” Kisuke was just commenting as he looked out at the beautiful scenery. “She would’ve loved to join us tonight.”

 

Shinji took a sip of his sake and shrugged noncommittally. He was just glad to be free of the humdrum of work for the day, and the sake that Kisuke brought over was of a particularly excellent quality too, rich and fragrant, lingering delicately across his palate like a well brewed rice wine should.

 

“The Shihouin Clan, eh?” the long-haired man commented lazily, eyeing the other man with his usual bored yet sharp gaze. “Now that I think of it, you do seem pretty close with their princess, Kisuke.”

 

It sounded like an idle, offhanded remark more than anything, but with the Fifth Division Captain, nothing was what it seemed, and Urahara just smiled ambiguously.

 

“Yoruichi and I are childhood friends,” the tousled blonde responded calmly. “We know each other from way back.” And that was that.

 

Shinji shrugged carelessly, respecting the man’s boundaries as well as his need for privacy and backing off. He changed the subject obligingly. “So, how’s Captain life treatin’ ya? Most of the Twelfth Division seem ‘ta be fallin’ in line pretty well enough, from what I can see. The lil’ monkey still givin’ you any problems?”

 

Already a year had passed since Kisuke took the helm of the Juuniibantai, and for the most part, everything seemed to be running smoothly, except for a few unexpected snags and hitches here and there. Unfortunately, the Fukutaichou of his division happened to be one of the abovementioned issues that had yet to be completely sorted out. Kisuke didn’t really mind though; Hiyori-san performed her duties well enough most of the time – she was just a bit temperamental and shouty sometimes. And kicky. And bitey. Not to mention punchy. But it wasn’t anything that he could not handle.

 

“Ah, well,” Kisuke took an idle sip from his saucer. “We’re still working on it.”

 

Shinji snorted. “Someone needs ‘ta put a leash on the little runt; she’s outta control. No offense, Kisuke, but you’re terrible at it.”

 

The other Captain just smiled. “Hiyori-san’s a spirited young lady. She’s a good Lieutenant to have around.”

 

The long-haired blonde waved his hand dismissively in the air. “You might as well just call a spade a spade, Kisuke. No wonder you’re getting stepped on all ‘ta time-”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Shinji was sent face first into his saucer of sake as the sole of a small, stocking-ed foot landed unceremoniously on the back of his head, shoving him forward into the shallow dish of alcohol. Unceremoniously using the golden-haired Captain as a springboard, the tiny flash of black somersaulted neatly and landed in front of the two higher ranked officers.

 

By now, the Gobantai Taichou didn’t even need visual confirmation to guess just who it was that had so rudely stomped on him. Sputtering and quickly lifting his head, he wasted no time chewing out the culprit.

 

“Damn you, Hiyori!! What ‘ta hell do ya think yer doing!!” a now somewhat disheveled looking Shinji yelled, his face red with agitation and dripping with sake, his normally perfectly groomed hair all mussed and his usually straight, even fringe stuck to his forehead in odd, comical angles that only added to the chaotic hilarity of the previously tranquil scene.

 

Faux surprise showed on the face of the Fukutaichou of the Juuniibantai “Yo, hage Shinji!! I didn’t see you there!” Sarugaki Hiyori mocked. “I thought I heard somebody askin’ ‘ta be stepped on, so I helpfully obliged!!”

 

Shinji looked like he wanted nothing more than to reach over and strangle the cheeky little fanged brat, and Kisuke quickly interrupted before the two of them could start their usual quarrel. They mixed together about as well as oil and water, and if given the opportunity, could really get completely out of hand with their little fights and squabbles.

 

“Hiyori-san, were you looking for me?” the tousled blonde enquired. Hiyori turned away from taunting the other Captain to focus on her commanding officer, sobering almost immediately. She unceremoniously shoved a thick sheaf of papers right in his face.

  
“You forgot ‘ta sign these,” she told him grudgingly. “Unohana Taichou needs your signatures by tomorrow morning or the Fourth Division won’t loan their medical equipment ‘ta us.”

 

Kisuke flipped through the documents; he _had_ forgotten about these. Looking up, he spoke with chagrin. “Ah, Hiyori-san, I really appreciate your reminder, but I’m afraid I don’t have any writing utensils on me right now-”

 

A calligraphy brush, an ink stick and an ink stone promptly bounced off of his forehead in rapid succession. The seemingly klutzy Captain barely caught everything before they clattered to the floor, and he was so inured to this behavior by now, he barely even reacted in shock to his Lieutenant’s petulant treatment. “Ah, that’s really thoughtful of you, Hiyori-san. Thanks.”

 

The young girl just harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest, sticking her nose in the air and pretending not to acknowledge his friendly gratitude. Smiling wryly, her Captain set out the paperwork on the table and prepared the writing instruments for use.

 

Shinji was disgusted by how passively Kisuke accepted Hiyori’s brattish antics, though. He wiped his face with the sleeve of his haori and glowered at the smaller blonde. “Why are you still up, anyway?” he grumbled. “Isn’t it well past your bedtime already?”

 

He was obviously looking for a fight, and she was more than willing to oblige him. “Shut up, baldy! I ain’t a kid! Don’t go treatin’ me like one!” Hiyori stomped over to the long-haired blonde and wasted no time kicking him hard in the shin. He swore loudly and immediately lunged for her, but she was small and agile, and more than quick enough to evade him, taunting him all the way. A slew of undignified name calling and dubiously decorous actions promptly ensued between the two high ranking officers of the illustrious Goteijusantai.

 

Meanwhile, Kisuke just continued to read through the documents and blithely ignored the duo as they capered around the pavilion. He tactfully pretended not to notice how his fellow Captain’s level of maturity seemed to have abruptly dropped by several orders of magnitude as the expertly skilled warrior resorted to downright juvenile techniques of hair pulling and cheek pinching, just as he turned a blind eye to his Lieutenant’s completely insubordinate behavior of biting, head butting, and the completely unsportsmanlike mule kick between the legs she favored.

 

Hiyori wiggled free from Shinji’s hold, cackling victoriously as she did so.

 

“Hah! Maybe you should be ‘ta one ‘ta go ‘ta bed early, hage Shinji! Ya can’t even handle a Fukutaichou; yer gettin’ rusty, old man!!”

 

“O-Old man!” Shinji sputtered in disbelief, before his golden eyes narrowed and he looked very insulted. “I’ll show you ‘old man,’ you little-!!”

 

The younger blonde just scowled back fearlessly and stuck out her tongue at him. That proved to be a mistake, for quick as lightning, his hand shot out and he caught hold of the small, slick muscle, his long, narrow fingers pinching her tongue securely and not allowing her to retract it back into her mouth, much to her muffled squawk of displeasure. 

 

“Who’s the rusty one now, huh?” the Gobantai Taichou gloated, ignoring her futile attempts to free herself as he turned to the other Captain. “Hey, Kisuke! See what I just caught!”

 

The tousled blonde raised his head and looked at the two. Shinji appeared ridiculously smug as he continued to lightly taunt his squirming catch, and Hiyori was fit to be tied as she tried to hit him only to be defeated by her own short reach and awkwardly incapacitated position.

 

“Hirako Taichou, I think you should let go of Hiyori-san. It will be bad if she starts crying.”

 

“Che. Don’t you know? Monkeys don’t cry,” Shinji retorted simply, though he released her all the same, but not before childishly wiping his slimy fingers on her shihakusho. Hiyori quickly took offense to that, and wasted no time grabbing his arm and sinking her sharp little fangs into her tormentor. Shinji yelped.

 

“HIYORI!!”

 

Kisuke just sighed and continued to put his signature on the required pages. The sooner he finished this, the sooner he could get those two separated, and hopefully without too much bloodshed on either end.

 

Having exacted her revenge, the pigtailed blonde finally let go of the stupid baldy and backed away, spitting and sticking out her tongue in exaggerated disgust. “Yeaggh!! Yew thaste howwible!!”

 

Nursing his poor bleeding arm, Shinji glared at the little barbarian. “I do _not_ taste horrible!”

 

Before either man could stop her, Hiyori grabbed a saucer from the table and immediately tossed it back in a single swallow, mistaking its clear, transparent contents for water. Not surprisingly, the potent sake burned all the way down, and the experience completely shocked the young girl, who had never taken a drink of any sort of alcohol before. Coughing from the fumes, her eyes watering and her tongue tingling from the high grade rice wine, her immediate instinct was to rid herself of the overwhelming taste as quickly as possible. The two Captains watched in surprise as she instinctively, frantically, reached for yet another filled saucer of sake, no doubt deceived by its watery appearance again in her hectic moment of need, and hurriedly poured it down her throat.

 

Shinji did not know whether to laugh or feel sorry for the brash girl when she realized that it wasn’t water she had just drunk. Choking, her eyes bugging wide open, she gasped for air and staggered backwards, clutching at her throat as she gagged, her face reddening from her efforts to breathe through the alcoholic vapors.

 

“WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!” she bellowed indignantly the moment she was respiring properly again, looking so comically upset and ruffled as she did so, and the Gobantai Taichou could not help it any longer; he burst into laughter. While the man was busy laughing himself sick, Kisuke stood up and went forward to soothe his highly agitated Lieutenant.

 

 “Ah, Hiyori-san, are you alright? You just gulped down two potent cups of sake-”

 

“THAT’S SAKE?! IT TASTES LIKE SHIT!!” Shinji took one look at Hiyori’s highly disgruntled features and snorted, his shoulders shaking as he clapped his hand to his mouth and snerked, all but crying with mirth.

 

“That’s because this type of sake’s not meant to be guzzled like that, Hiyori-san-”

 

Hiyori eventually noticed the stupid baldy standing behind her Captain, who was taking way too much joy in her misery, and feeling extremely embarrassed and stupid, she wasted no time jumping at the annoying male, snarling as she did so.

  
“STOP LAUGHING. WHAT’S SO FUNNY, YOU-”

 

Despite his overwhelming amusement, he was able to catch her singlehandedly as she pounced angrily on him, dodging her infuriated swing at his head and snatching her out of midair before she could launch another attack at him. Wrapping a firm arm around her middle, he easily subdued her and held her dangling on her stomach by the side of his hip, much to her increasing outrage. The sudden blood rush to her head ensured that she did not struggle too hard, even though she spat and hissed and tried rather ineffectually to hit him.

 

Kisuke looked rather dismayed as he went up to the other Captain, who was still smirking with unholy glee. The latter pointed with an elegant finger at the disgruntled, growly girl he was holding. “Ya missin’ an angry little monkey, Kisuke?”

 

The Juuniibantai Taichou crouched down before his Fukutaichou and studied her reddened, aggravated features. She was starting to appear quite flushed from his point of view, and he suspected that the slight amount of sake that she had ingested was already beginning to take effect on the senses of the small female. “Hiyori-san, it seems you have never drunk alcohol before. Try to calm down a bit, alright? We don’t know how good your tolerance is and being agitated is just going to further exacerbate your condition.”

 

Surprisingly enough, Hiyori actually quieted down obediently. She also stopped struggling and instead just hung limply in Shinji’s hold. She was still frowning somewhat though, obviously discontented with her current situation, but she was giving in grudgingly enough, and so the Fifth Division Captain set her back down on her feet.

 

“Are you feeling okay, Hiyori-san?” her commanding officer enquired with concern, and she slowly looked at him. Her cheeks were flushed and her pupils looked slightly dilated, but she seemed completely lucid even though she had fallen strangely silent. Kisuke was torn between wanting to make sure that his subordinate was alright and the pressing need to finish up the paperwork – they really needed that equipment tomorrow – when Shinji intervened.

 

“Finish your work, Kisuke,” the long-haired man said, mild amusement still lacing his lazy tone. “I’ll watch the brat for ya.”

 

They both waited for an explosion from the abovementioned brat, and were both slightly taken aback when she didn’t even made a peep. A bit concerned, Kisuke quickly went back to the rest of his documents, intent on getting them done as quickly as possible. Shinji just eyed the girl, and then he slowly herded her to a seat. Surprisingly enough, she put up no protest whatsoever and just sat quietly on the stone chair, her gaze lowered as she glowered at her folded hands on her lap.

 

Shinji poured some sake into one of the abandoned saucers and took a sip from it, studying the unusually still and silent girl before him. What a weird little thing, he thought. She was also evidently so easily inebriated that it would be funny if it wasn’t so alarming. “So you’re a quiet drunk, eh?” he commented idly by way of small talk, though she did not even look up at him. “I thought that you’d be one of those crazy little firecrackers for sure, but you’re just kinda… _boring_ , aren’t ya?”

 

“Hirako Taichou,” Kisuke sighed from his side of the table. “Please don’t tease Hiyori-san too much.”

 

Shinji rolled his eyes. “Geez, you’re like a mother hen, Kisuke. And how many times must I tell you to dispense with the formalities?”

 

Kisuke had to smile at that. “More often than I can count, Hirako Taichou.” The tousled blonde proceeded to put his signature on the last approval form after reading through it swiftly, and then he gathered up the paperwork and went over to his Lieutenant.

 

“Hiyori-san? Come on, I’ll take you back to Twelfth Division Barracks first.” He reached out as if to grasp her arm, but she flinched back sharply from him, looking at him with huge, distrustful eyes.

 

“Who are you?” she demanded suddenly.

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Yup, Bleach’s Turn Back the Pendulum arc is hands down my favorite arc in the series, and I especially adore Hiyori and Shinji’s chemistry; if you can’t see it, then you really need to open your eyes wider, haha. Anyway, I hope that I have managed to capture some of their amazing dynamics with each other – I really had a lot of fun writing this chapter.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

  
According to Wikipedia:

 

Hanami (花見?, lit. "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, "flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms ("sakura") or (less often) plum blossoms ("ume"). From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa.

 

Hanami at night is called yozakura (夜桜?, literally night sakura).

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Just for reference’s purpose, the events in this chapter (and the next) happened approximately one year after Kisuke became the Juuniibantai Taichou – hence he is still not very close with Hiyori yet.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Another thing: I do understand that the ShiYori fandom is very small, so I’m not exactly expecting a lot from the readers, but please, if you can, do help me to further improve on my writing. I really adore this obscure pairing very much, but I’m also still in the process of learning how to write (it’s always a constant struggle/progression), so any comments and helpful criticisms from the readers are always, _always_ appreciated. Tell me what you like, what you don’t like, or if you can’t do so, then even a simple word of encouragement will do. Trust me; it will make my day to know that all the effort that I have put in writing the chapter has been at least acknowledged by someone.  

 

I’m setting personal time aside and writing for the love of ShiYori, but you know, if I can’t gain any insights that can help me improve on my writing, then I really don’t see much point in continuously sharing my work on this website.

 

Reviews are food for the author’s soul; feed me!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And as always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	11. Hiyori, Drunk - Turn Back the Pendulum Edition, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4364

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 30/07/13

**Completed on:** 31/07/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 21/08/13

 

* * *

**Hiyori, Drunk – Turn Back the Pendulum Edition, Part II**

* * *

 

The two men just stared at the small pigtailed blonde, momentarily nonplussed. Then, they exchanged brief glances with each other.

 

“Hiyori?” Shinji called out then, his tone slightly cautious and lacking all of its earlier levity, and she turned her head slowly to him, blinking as she did so.

 

“Shinji?” She rubbed her eyes with her fists in a ridiculously cute manner and shook her head tiredly. “Where’s Hikifune Taichou?”

 

The two Captains stared at her once again.

 

“Hiyori,” Shinji spoke again, this time with deliberate slowness. “Kirio-san is no longer here. She joined the Zero Division, remember?”

 

There was a long pause, and then the men were mildly horrified when tears started to fill the young girl’s eyes.

 

“Hikifune Taichou is…gone?” she whispered almost as if to herself, even as her unbelievably wide, unblinking eyes continued to drip water in the most pitiful manner. “She…left…Hiyori behind?”

 

This was quickly becoming completely awkward. Neither of the men were equipped to deal with crying females, especially not this one in particular. Shinji didn’t even know that she possessed the tear ducts necessary for crying until today.

 

“Hiyori-san,” Kisuke’s voice was soft. “Hikifune Taichou didn’t abandon you. She entrusted you to help me take care of the Juuniibantai.”

 

Instead of being comforted by his words, Hiyori reacted as if he had just announced that he had murdered her entire family and then set fire to the house for good measure.

 

 “You made Hikifune Taichou go away,” she accused in a whisper, and Kisuke’s face fell.

 

“ _Hiyori_!” Shinji snapped sharply then. She had gone too far. “You are a Fukutaichou of the Gotei 13. Be aware of your position!”

 

His harsh tone made her stiffen in shock, and she looked at him with huge, vulnerable eyes. Her small mouth trembled, and then the waterworks really started. The guilt at upsetting the young girl was considerably immense, and Shinji felt his insides twist – she was not supposed to cry like that, damn it.

 

“Shinji, you meanie!!” she yelled at him, and then she jumped up from her seat, intent to run off. She didn’t make it very far; her inebriated state had completely affected her hand eye coordination and motor skills, and she wobbled about unsteadily like a little drunk (pun fully intended) before tripping and nearly falling flat on her face. The long haired blonde who had so offended her tender sensibilities reached out and caught her by the arm before she could take the painful face plant, pulling her upright and to him to steady her. He fully expected her to turn around to take a swing at him in retaliation (as was the usual scope of their interaction with each other), but instead, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hiding her face against the side of his throat, and the way she shook against him made the rest of his earlier irritation dissipate completely. The brat was genuinely upset.

 

He sighed, and then he looked to her hovering, concerned Captain. “I’ll take care of her, Kisuke. You better get that paperwork over ‘ta Unohana ASAP.”

 

The other blonde hesitated. “Are you sure…?”

 

Shinji rolled his eyes. “Tch. I’ve been dealin’ with this little pain in the behind far longer than ya. I know what ‘ta do.” He raised a brow. “Or would ya like ‘ta give it a go?”

 

Kisuke barely knew what to do with his touchy Lieutenant when she was her normal, grumpy self, let alone this weepy, overly sensitive version currently ensconced in Shinji’s arms. Then, there was also the inconspicuous elephant in the room that was the utterly awkward subject of his predecessor, and Kisuke backed off.

 

“I owe you one, Hirako Taichou,” the Juuniibantai Taichou mentioned gratefully, and the other Shinigami just lazily waved him off.

 

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure ‘ta collect one day,” he retorted, and the other Captain finally excused himself after one last worried look at his sniffling subordinate. Shinji watched him leave, and when the latter was finally out of sight, he frowned down at the girl tucked against him.

 

“Oi.” She did not respond, and so he poked her side mercilessly with a long finger. She flinched and pressed closer, hiding her face from his exasperated regard. “How much longer are ya gonna dribble all over my clothes,” he demanded to know. “I never pegged ya ‘ta be such a crybaby.”  

 

That taunt did the trick, for she at last lifted her head to frown at him. She looked damned pitiful to him, her eyes red rimmed and her long lashes clumping together from the tears. Her face and nose was bright red and dripping from her upset, and he pulled an exaggerated shudder. “Good God,” he muttered with utter insensitivity. “You look even more like a monkey when you cry.”

 

Instead of incurring her wrath and rage as his deliberately offensive statement typically would, her large, watery ochre eyes filled with such accusing hurt that it effectively made Shinji feel like he had just kicked a little kitten.

 

This was definitely _not_ the norm of their usual interactions with each other.

 

She shoved away clumsily from him then, tottering unsteadily and nearly falling flat on her backside before she quickly regained her balance and lurched off. His ears caught the utterly heart wrenching sound of a muffled sob as she turned away, and for some reason or another, it made him feel like he had just been stabbed in the gut.

 

_Oh shit._

 

He was up and after her in an instant, and not surprisingly, caught up to her very quickly in her current state. He dropped an arm around her shoulder and very easily absorbed all of her struggles, making her stop and turning her around to look at him. Now she looked utterly wretched, and Shinji felt really bad for making her even more upset than she already was. “Sorry, brat,” he told her gruffly. “That came out wrong; I went overboard. It’s my bad.”

 

Hiyori swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “You’re a horrible person!” she cried, and he looked at her oddly for her uncharacteristically passive response. Then, she turned her face into his kosode and sobbed some more, her small hands grabbing onto the fabric as she clung onto him. He patted her head awkwardly.

 

“Ah, geez, you’re such an emotional drunk,” he muttered, but still he stood there lamely with her under the pavilion for a while and let her compose herself. “C’mon,” he coaxed. “Let’s walk for a bit; the fresh air might clear your head.”

 

She shook her head. “Can’t,” she muttered against his uniform. “Legs feel wobbly.” There was a pause as they both contemplated what to do next, and then she suddenly demanded. “I wanna piggyback.”

 

He looked down at her like she was crazy. “ _HUH?!_ ”

 

But her ridiculously enormous, liquidy eyes were already starting to fill with tears again, and Shinji was desperate to make her stop before she could start again.

 

“Alright, alright! Just quit it with the damn crying already!” Kisuke owed him big for this, the Gobantai Taichou thought disgruntledly as he strode forward and hunkered down grudgingly before the smaller female. The blonde Captain wondered if he was going to have any dignity left after this evening. Somehow, he really doubted it. Whoever has heard of a Taichou piggybacking a Fukutaichou of another division on a whim? It simply wasn’t done, even though this particular Fukutaichou was just a bratty little runt. But he had upset her earlier, so clearly this was his penance to her. She climbed onto his back and snaked her arms around his neck, tucking her chin over his shoulder as she got herself comfortable, and on his end, he hooked his arms behind her knees, made sure that she was secure, and then they were off.

 

She was so small that she weighed next to nothing to him, but she was warm and tangible against his back, and for once in that evening, she was quiet and seemed more or less content as she relaxed slowly and laid her head against the sloping curve of his shoulder and neck. He started to walk them back to the Fifth Division Barracks; there was no way he was going to carry her like this all the way across seven other divisions to the Juuniibantai – even though most of the Gotei 13 would likely be out celebrating Hanami and getting stone drunk, the chance of running into other Shinigami, not to mention the subsequent embarrassment, was still pretty high and he really didn’t want to try his luck. Hiyori was just going to stay over at the Gobantai until she either sobered up enough to return on her own or Kisuke came to pick her up, whichever came first.

 

They had just passed through the deserted back gates of his division when her arms tightened slightly around his neck and she snuffled into the side of his throat, the tip of her cold nose brushing against the warm skin under his well-defined jawline.

 

“What are ya up to now?” he asked without even breaking stride, turning down a familiar path that led to his quarters.

 

Hiyori sighed after drawing a deep breath.

 

“You smell good,” she mumbled, seeming to have momentarily lost the mental filter between her thoughts and her speech.

 

He rolled his eyes. “Don’t go around smelling people without their permission, you weird little thing,” he retorted, though there was hardly any heat in his words. “You also better not be drooling on me either-”

 

She loosened an arm around him and reached out to touch his hair with fascination then. “You’ve pretty hair-”

 

“Yeah, yeah, tell me somethin’ I don’t know,” he muttered. His long, flowing sheet of silky golden hair was a source of constant pride for him.

 

“-pretty like a princess,” she finished sleepily, briefly rubbing her heated cheek against those cool, golden strands, then patting them with her fingers with haphazard affection.

 

Shinji paused at that, his eye twitching. “You’re startin’ ‘ta piss me off, brat,” he grumbled, before he got moving again. How low he had fallen, to be reduced to the rough equivalent of a pack mule. “And that little paw of yours had better be clean.”

 

Her only response was to nuzzle even closer to him, instinctively drawn to his heat, and then she just rested her cheek tiredly on his shoulder. He turned his head to glance briefly at her and his eyes widened imperceptibly; he was not expecting her face to be so close to his, so much so that it completely filled his field of vision. Her catlike ochre eyes were soft and drowsy, and they glowed slightly under the moonlight as she watched him lazily, passively. There was an oddly attractive quality in the way she looked right then that grabbed his attention and refused to let go – her freckled cheeks were lightly smudged pink from the alcohol, a heavy lidded, sleepy look on her face, the dense, light blonde lashes framing her eyes that seemed impossibly long, the cherry red of her small, soft mouth–

 

Quite abruptly, Shinji was reminded of the fact that Hiyori was not a child anymore, that resting on his back was not the angry, hyperactive little monkey he had always imagined her to be, but, rather, a girl who was teetering on the cusp of womanhood.

 

And that _girl_ was projecting such languid contentment and uncharacteristic _trust_ right now, her guard lowered and her usually prickly personality momentarily subdued by her inebriation. She looked so much softer and sweetly vulnerable at that moment, and he could not help but stare at her, partly in bafflement and partly in disbelief, but mostly in shock over the unavoidable realization that she was actually rather cute and unexpectedly charming in her own grumpy, onerous way – _and that he found it kind of appealing_.

 

She blinked slowly at him then, and it snapped him out of his obvious bewilderment. The sheer proximity to her did not help matters any, and Shinji immediately did the first thing that came to mind.

 

He let go of her.

 

Not expecting to be put down so rudely and abruptly, Hiyori promptly landed on her backside on the floor. Since she was a short little thing and he had quite the height advantage, it was a considerable fall down and she yelped when her bottom hit the ground rather jarringly.

 

“ _What the hell was that?!_ ” The visibly disturbed and horrified man demanded unceremoniously, looking rather rattled as he turned around and pointed accusingly down at her.

 

Hiyori was not amused. “You dropped me!” she yelled back at him. “That hurts!”

 

“That’s not what I’m talking about! Why were you looking at me like that?!”

 

The younger pigtailed blonde rubbed at her poor, bruised tailbone and frowned, genuinely confused. “Like what?” she questioned.

 

“Like you were-” Shinji broke off then, both unable and unwilling to elaborate further. He looked at her closely once more, and the sudden tension in his gut eased slightly when he realized that she did not seem half as beguiling or as attractive as he had clearly found her to be earlier. Perhaps he had just imagined the whole thing in the first place; he had consumed quite a bit of sake earlier, after all; yes, the whole incident must have just been the alcohol talking. That was some damn potent sake that Kisuke had brought over, if it had nearly convinced him that he actually found the little brat adorable and entrancing, even if only for the briefest of moments. That was all kinds of scary and it nearly gave him a minor heart attack.

 

Shinji pointed at Hiyori once more. “Just for the record, I have no interest whatsoever in angry, flat chested chibi,” he blurted out snappishly. “And also, you’re a hundred years too young for me to even-” 

 

He cut himself off again, and was immediately irritated at himself for spouting nonsense. Hiyori was looking at him like she did not understand a word he was saying, and Shinji was starting to feel more than a little foolish for overreacting; she was still the same annoying little monkey he had always known – only his perception of her was slowly changing. Of course she would not know what had agitated him so, and besides, she was still drunk and was not in complete possession of her faculties.

 

Shinji quickly decided that he must have been more tired than he thought, if he was letting himself be so bothered by such obviously outlandish notions. It had been a long day, after all, and it was also getting quite late. The mild buzz he got from the alcohol earlier was also started to fade, leaving behind an increasing weariness that was encouraging him to seek his bed instead. The Gobantai Taichou barely refrained from the urge to rub his temples and sigh. He crouched down before Hiyori instead, and then extended a hand towards the still frowning girl.

 

“C’mon, Hiyori. S’getting late. Let’s get ya settled in one of ‘ta bunks for ‘ta night.”

 

Not surprisingly, the pigtailed blonde jerked away from him, refusing his offer to help her up. “No! You’re just gonna drop me again, aren’t you?” she accused, looking at him distrustfully with large, wary eyes. “You’re so mean, Shinji! I didn’t do anything to you!”

 

Well, that made him feel vaguely guilty, and he could not refute her charge; it was true that he had dropped her for seemingly no good reason from her point of view, and since there was no way in hell he was going to explain to her just why he had been startled into doing so in the first place, there was no choice but to placate her.

 

“Sorry. It’s my fault; I got distracted and wasn’t payin’ attention. Now, c’mon, it’s way past your bedtime.”

 

She glowered at him. “I’m not a kid anymore!! Stop treating me like one!”

 

Yes, he was indeed beginning to notice that, however reluctant he was to acknowledge it. He did not show his chagrin, though. “Really?” he deadpanned flatly instead. “I can’t tell the difference at all; what with the way you’re acting so much like one right now.”

 

Then, before she could react, he reached out, snagged her by the back of her uniform and lifted her like she was just a fluffy little kitten. Hiyori immediately protested, yowling and flailing, but Shinji simply stood up and carried her along very nonchalantly. “I should have just done this in the first place,” he commented to himself as he continued to make his way towards the living quarters of his Division, holding the smaller blonde at arm’s length to keep himself from kicked or scratched. “Would have saved myself all sorts of unnecessary grief.”  

 

It didn’t take Hiyori long to resign herself to the new, utterly humiliating form of transport, aware that there was nothing that she could do to stop the stronger male. It was fortunate that they did not meet any Shinigami along the way, though the moment he finally set her down in front of the residential building of the Gobantai, she immediately kicked him in the shin in retaliation and then wasted no time scrambling up to the roof on the second floor with a flash of shunpo and no small amount of innate agility, acting every bit like a disgruntled feline whose sensibilities had just been thoroughly offended.

 

Shinji swore loudly as pain shot up his ankle. “ _Hiyori_!” he yelled. “I thought you said that you couldn’t walk, you little brat!!” 

 

“Shinji, you idiot!!” she shouted back down at him as she clambered clumsily up and over the roof. “Leave me alone!!”

 

He was very tempted to do just that. It would be nobody’s fault but her own if she fell from up there, but he had made a promise to Kisuke to watch the annoying little runt, and even though she was moving well enough, she didn’t seem all too steady on her feet still, and so cursing under his breath, he took after her. She hadn’t gone far, and he found her sitting at the furthest edge of the tiled roof, her back turned to him, hugging her knees to her chest and hunching into a little ball as she stared out sulkily at the expansive grounds below. They were looking over the training fields filled with blooming Sakura, the breathtaking riot of white and pink petals now kissed by the moonlight, the scenery of the silent, flowering trees an ethereal, glowing sight.

 

Against that magnificent backdrop, she seemed utterly small and lonely, and his irritation faded away. He couldn’t quite find it within himself to yell at her when she looked like that. He ended up going up to her and taking a seat beside her instead, his long legs hanging casually off the edge of the roof, though she ignored him completely when he did so.

 

“I swear ‘ta god; you’re such a complete and utter pain,” he muttered exasperatedly after a while.

 

She refused to say a word to him but turned away instead, though not before he glimpsed of the hurt glint in her eyes. Her shoulders were also starting to quiver, and obviously he had somehow trod on her tender feelings again. Dealing with this intoxicated, overly sensitive version of Hiyori hurt his head and was also messing up his perception of her, and Shinji was getting very exasperated and impatient with the entire situation. Not to mention, he was also tired and he wanted nothing more than to head straight to bed and completely banish from his mind everything that had happened tonight.

 

Resigned to his fate, the golden-haired Taichou grudgingly reached out, wrapped an arm around his companion’s waist and hauled her reluctantly onto his lap. She struggled, of course, not expecting him to suddenly seize her like that.

 

“Shinji, what are you doing-!” she burst out in protest only for him to grab the back of her head with his hand and brusquely smoosh her face into the side of his neck. He went about the task as gently as a disgruntled rhinoceros and she squawked when her poor nose bumped hard against the ridge of his clavicle.

 

“Quiet, Hiyori,” he snapped, and she was so utterly stumped by his incomprehensible action that she actually stilled and fell silent like he had instructed her to. Pressed so closely to him like she was, she could only see in her direct line of vision the long, elegant column of his throat and the slight protrusion of the Adam’s apple that proclaimed him male. It was impossible to ignore his physical strength now that she was confronted by it in such a blatant way; his arm around her middle felt like a band of steel and his chest was just as unyielding. The differences between their bodies were both alarming and intriguing at the same time, and his musky, earthy scent surrounded her and filled her nose. He felt utterly solid and was also very warm, and he fascinated her enough that she was briefly content to stay put and stop fighting him.

 

“You better appreciate what comes next, brat, because I don’t do this for just anyone,” he grumbled. “So stop your sniveling already.”

 

Then, before she could take offense to his gruff command, he opened his mouth and started to _sing_.

 

_“Sakura sakura_   
_Noyama mo sato mo”_

 

The hair at the back of her neck slowly stood up as the deep, steady resonance of his voice vibrated from his chest and went straight through hers, a low, smooth tenor that _flowed_ soothingly to her ears and quickly spread warmth through her insides, causing her to promptly forget about her earlier upset as her senses immediately attuned themselves to him and the sound of his voice. Stunned, her breath caught in her throat.

 

_“Mi-watasu kagiri_   
_Kasumi ka kumo ka”_

 

It didn’t take her long to realize that he was singing a traditional folksong that was rather popular amongst the districts of Rukongai, a song that celebrated the season of Spring, a song of Hanami. Her catlike eyes slowly turned wide, but her body went instinctively lax against his. She had never heard him sing before, but his voice was utterly _comforting_ , and it made her feel cozy and protected.

 

_“Asahi ni niou_   
_Sakura sakura_   
_Hana zakari”_

 

She wanted to see what he looked like when he was singing, so she curiously turned her face towards his in an attempt to view his profile. She failed, for he refused to even let her lift her head from its place against the side of his neck. His narrow but long-fingered hand was still cradling the back of her head, and with gentle but firm pressure, he kept her nestled against the crook of his shoulder, her nose pressed against his collarbone as he looked straight ahead at the grounds below them and continued the song without even missing a beat.

 

_“Sakura sakura_   
_Yayoi no sora wa”_

 

There was really nothing overtly special about the quality of his voice. His vocal chords were not specifically trained for singing, but the sound he produced was strong and lulling at the same time, and it soothed her like nothing had ever before. There was no hesitation in his song; he was not shy or self-conscious about his voice, and that calm, steady confidence showed in his lyrical adaptation of the traditional tune. It relaxed her, and she further settled into his hold.  

 

_“Mi-watasu kagiri_   
_Kasumi ka kumo ka”_

 

A deep seated sense of contentment slowly crept over her, and with it came a lazy drowsiness that calmed her even further. Her head rested against his shoulder, her ear pressed against his chest. The comforting reverberation of his quiet singing voice made her sigh softly, and she sleepily rubbed her cheek against the fabric of his kosode, going limp as she leaned further into him, her eyelids slowly slipping, going half-mast. There was a mesmerizing quality in the way he sang to her, and she was being completely sedated and brought under by him at the same time.

_“Nioi zo izuru_   
_Izaya izaya_   
_Mini yukan”_

 

The song came to an end at last, but he continued to carry the tune, humming it lazily like a lullaby, and her small hands slowly fisted into his uniform, as if directly absorbing this cherished feeling of safety and warmth from him. She was no longer resisting him, and his hand slowly shifted from a restraining hold against her head to a looser, relaxed grasp, absently stroking her hair instead, his touch further soothing her as she sank further into slumber.

 

Shinji sat on the edge of the roof with Hiyori curled on his lap, and he continued to lull her with the sound of his voice as he quietly appreciated the short-lived beauty of the cherry blossoms that lined the training fields below. It was tranquil and peaceful for once, and by the time he finally let the song fade, his little burden was already fast asleep. He looked down at her slumbering so trustingly against him for a while, and then he maneuvered her carefully until her head was resting against the cradle of his bicep, exposing her face to the soft moonlight. Her surprisingly delicate features were serene in sleep, lacking her usual aggressive cockiness and rather off putting ferocity, and this time around, it did not shock him as much to once again discern the faint promise of her maturing beauty; it was something that he had always known subconsciously after all, if he had to be perfectly honest, only he had never felt the need to acknowledge it – until now.

 

With exquisite gentleness, the Fifth Division Captain tucked his charge back against his chest and then just as carefully shielded her sleeping face behind his haori. He sighed and looked out to the beautiful moonlit night.

 

“You’re gonna be a really troublesome brat soon, aren’t ya, Hiyori?”

 

* * *

** Omake **

Kisuke was smiling with relief when he went to the Fifth Division Barracks to retrieve his Lieutenant an hour later.

 

“Thank you for your help, Hirako Taichou,” the scientist sounded appreciative and grateful as he stood outside the personal quarters of his fellow Captain.

 

“Yeah, yeah. You owe me big.” Shinji appeared at the door with a sleeping Hiyori in his arms and he wasted no time handing her back to the care of her commanding officer.

 

Kisuke awkwardly accepted the burden of the young girl.

 

“She fell asleep slightly less than an hour ago,” the other Captain remarked casually. “Will probably be out like a light ‘till tomorrow mornin’.”

 

“Aa, alright. I’ll put her to bed as soon as we get back to the barracks,” Kisuke promised. Then, he asked. “Did anything untoward happen?”

 

Shinji paused at that. “Nah, nothin’ happened,” the long-haired blonde replied at last. “She tired herself out and fell asleep in the end. And Kisuke…”

 

The man’s slightly ominous tone towards the end caught Kisuke’s attention.

 

“Yes?”

 

The Gobantai Taichou scowled. “Whatever the brat says happened when she wakes up is not true. Are we perfectly clear?”

 

Kisuke barely refrained from the urge to lift his brow at the other Captain’s comment. “But Hirako Taichou, when you put it like that-”

 

“ _Nothing. Happened_.” Shinji snapped. “And we’ll never speak of this evening ever again.”

 

And that was that.

 

“…Of course, Hirako Taichou,” Kisuke responded politely at last, inwardly amused by the man’s stubborn insistence. “I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.”

 

And when Hiyori woke up the next morning, nursing a terrible headache and in a viciously horrendous mood, she remembered nothing at all from the night before.

 

“I don’t know!! Nothin’ happened!” Hiyori snapped when Kisuke enquired curiously, much to his increasing intrigue.

 

So, what really happened?

 

It was a question that would remain unanswered for the next one hundred years, at least until the next time Hiyori-san accidentally got drunk and Kisuke recalled that bemusing event again.

 

“So, Shinji,” the Urahara enquired lightly the next time he saw the reinstated Shinigami Captain. “I’m really curious; what actually happened between you and Hiyori-san during _yozakura_ that time in Seireitei?”

 

It took Shinji a while to figure out what Kisuke was asking about. The man quickly flushed and sputtered. 

 

“I already told ya; nothin’ happened! What kinda pervert do ya take me for! She was only barely legal back then!!”

 

Kisuke arched a brow, still lightly teasing the visibly flustered male.

 

“Ah, so you _did_ notice her even back then. How _scandalous_.”

 

Shinji was completely red now, and his mouth just opened and closed like a fish as he floundered about for a reply. Kisuke snapped his fan shut and smiled knowingly at his old friend before he strolled away.

 

“Don’t worry, Shinji, I’ll keep your little secret.”

 

“Damn you, Kisuke! Get your ass back here!!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So, around one hundred years ago, we have Shinji, who’s kind of confused about what to make of Hiyori and clearly in the first stage of denial, haha. I feel a bit sorry for him to be caught in that sort of predicament, but at the same time, it was really fun to write this chapter, so I was pretty much enjoying his dilemma a little too much.

 

Also, I hope that the poor guy doesn’t come off as vaguely creepy or pedophilic to some of you readers – Shinji’s just starting to notice that Hiyori’s maybe/sort of/kind of cute and appealing; he obviously doesn’t have any other intentions beyond that realization. I think that’s perfectly normal; even I walk past girls down the street sometimes and mentally acknowledge to myself that some of them are pretty cute – it doesn’t really mean that I want to run right up to them to grope and molest them.  

 

…FYI, I’m female, by the way, not that gender really matters in this sort of things.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Just to make things clear, Shinji and Hiyori’s romantic relationship only really started to develop decades (more or less) after this event, and by then, Hiyori’s clearly older, and has grown into a matured young woman capable of making her own decisions and doing whatever she wants.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

  
I judge Hiyori’s physical age in the Turn Back the Pendulum (TBTP) arc to be roughly around 14 to 15 years old, a teenage girl teetering on the edge of womanhood. She just happens to look very young, and her naturally small stature makes her appear even younger. The youthful appearance thing is actually quite common around here in Asia, especially for girls. Most of us are pretty scrawny and small sized/underdeveloped at that age, and are therefore usually perceived to be even younger than our actual age. Believe it or not, this misunderstanding sometimes persists even when we are already in our twenties.

 

The reason why I’m implying in the omake that Hiyori was barely legal (a century ago) is because the age of consent in Japan **ranges from 13 to 18 years old** , depending on the jurisdiction and the prefecture you happen to be in. I kid you not. Yes, it’s pretty confusing, and, apparently, I think it’s also perfectly legal to engage in sexual relations with these minors (still below the age of 18 but above the apparent age of consent) as long as they are not being paid for it (i.e. not doing it for prostitution). So there you go.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As for the piggyback scene, I really couldn’t help myself but write it down after seeing so many adorable and pretty fanarts of TBTP!Shinji carrying TBTP!Hiyori on his back. I hope I did the scene justice – it’s one of my more favorite parts in this chapter, I have to admit.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

…and yes, Shinji’s hair is pretty like a princess. A Japanese Court Princess of the Heian period, to be precise – even the hairstyle is rather similar, in my opinion.

 

Just for the record, Shinji is not amused by the comparison.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I hope that after this installment you readers can understand why I ‘randomly’ chose ‘Sakura Sakura’ to be their song in Chapter 9. Shinji sang it to Hiyori first, a hundred years ago, during Hanami, the season of Spring – the season of Sakura.

 

I was tempted to pick out some random Jazz song to use at first, but technically, Jazz wasn’t even invented yet back then, so the timeline was a bit iffy. Not to mention, early Jazz songs were all in English, and Seireitei has a rather traditional Japanese theme to it, so in the end, ‘Sakura Sakura’ just sort of fit better all around.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Another thing to mention is Hiyori’s personality changes when intoxicated. For those who are curious, her level of childish/girlish petulance (or dere dere-ness) increases in direct proportion to the amount of alcohol she consumes. So, yes, there’s a very distinct possibility that she may sink to incomprehensible levels of childishness if completely and utterly tanked. (I’m actually kinda tempted to write a chapter of drunk!childlike!Hiyori, but that may just be a bit too much crack for this fic, which is already pretty crackish on its own, ahaha.)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

New arc next chapter! We will be returning back to present ‘Lily and Thistle’-verse, if that even makes any sense.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, a really warm word of thanks and appreciation to all of my kind reviewers. I admit that I was pretty worried about my characterization of the Bleach characters since I’m still new to writing for this fandom and this couple in particular, and am therefore still feeling my way around them. That’s one of the main reasons why I was asking for feedback as well – you guys, do let me know if the characterization feels too ‘over the top,’ so as to speak.

 

Of course, I will also be incorporating my own personal spin to the characters according to how I perceive them (and since this is also a romance fic, there will obviously be more romantic aspects compared to the typically shounen-geared canon-verse), but sometimes I fear I may get too enthusiastic with my shipping feels and will require to be checked back every once in a while, so take note, readers!!  

 

Also, of course, it’s always nice to have one’s work validated, so come say hi to me if you enjoyed the chapter! I’m always open to ShiYori discussions – this fandom is kind of small and quiet, and I’m always having trouble finding likeminded individuals to appreciate our mutual interests (read: fangirl) with.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And as always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 

 


	12. The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3712

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 03/08/13

**Completed on:** 04/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 25/08/13

 

* * *

**The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part I**

* * *

 

One day, he handed her a Soul Ticket.

 

She recognized it for what it was immediately, and her face visibly darkened in reaction. Not surprisingly, she quickly tried to shove it back to him, but he would not take it back.

 

“No, brat,” he told her firmly. “This is yours. Lisa, Love and Hachi has each received theirs, so quit bein’ so difficult and just keep it.”

 

She started to look downright obstinate and furious then, but he caught her hand and closed his own larger one over it, stilling her struggles. “This is not an order to return to Soul Society; it’s merely a means for you to come visit if you wanna.”

 

“Why the hell would I wanna go back _there_?” she snapped, her tone bristling with hostility.

 

He just looked at her.

 

“I live there too, ya know,” he remarked simply, and she stiffened.

 

“You’re just tryin’ ‘ta make me go back to Seireitei,” she accused.

 

He did not deny it. She had always been quick on the uptake, and it wasn’t as if he was being very subtle about this issue.

 

“I’ll settle for just gettin’ you comfortable with the idea for now,” he replied, and she looked so angry with him that he quickly tightened his hold on her, just in case she decided to deck him right there and then.

 

“We’re _Souls_ , Hiyori,” Shinji emphasized calmly, matter-of-factly. “Kisuke has done a great job designin’ the Gigai for our use, but we’re not meant to remain in the Living Realm indefinitely. Sooner or later, you have ‘ta return ‘ta Soul Society – you _know_ that, Hiyori.”

 

Of course she knew. The dead had no place in the affairs of the living, and if not for their forced exile from Soul Society over a century ago, the entire lot of them would never have come to live in the Human World in the first place. Also, even though Hiyori was starting to let go of her resentment towards Shinigami and the Goteijusantai in general, the emotional wound from being so callously betrayed and abandoned by the organization that she had devoted herself to so loyally still hurt. They had all been so easily cast aside like garbage, not even given a fighting chance to prove themselves – ordered for execution like they were just mindless monsters even when they had been nothing but innocent. She could never understand how Shinji, Kensei, Rose and Mashiro could so easily put aside all the grievous wrongs that had been dealt to them to return to the Gotei 13 like nothing had happened.

 

The pigtailed blonde shoved her lover away from her and backed away, visibly balking at the idea of his intentions.

 

“I won’t go back,” she blurted out fiercely. “I’ll never go back.”

 

She looked visibly upset now, her eyes reflecting a mulish but increasingly trapped expression, and he knew that she would lash out once he had her cornered in this matter. He was not backing off though; this was something that she had to come to terms with eventually, and out of the other four Vizards who had chosen to remain in Karakura town, he had known that she would be the one to resist it the hardest. The ghosts of their past haunted her the most; she was such a passionate being, and she always felt things harder than the rest of them. It was her greatest strength and weakness; both a gift and a curse.

 

Shinji followed after her retreating form and reached for her again. She tried to slap his hands away, hissing defensively as she did so, but he persisted, catching her and drawing her close.

 

“Hiyori,” he spoke her name quietly, his golden eyes resting steadily on her tensed form. “Listen ‘ta me; let the past go. Don’t blame the entire Seireitei for what happened to us just because of one bad, uninformed decision by a mere few. You’re only hurtin’ yourself like this, luv.”

 

But the smaller blonde just kept silent in his arms, and it was a testament to her current level of agitation that she did not even take him to task for referring to her with an endearment. Sighing, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. It was obvious that another approach was in order.

 

“Come ‘ta Seireitei for a visit,” he coaxed softly against her ear. “You don’t have ‘ta stay for very long if ya don’t wanna, but at least come see for yourself…there’s nothin’ ‘ta be afraid of.”

 

Sure enough, she stiffened, quickly taking offense at his words.

 

“I’m not afraid,” she snapped in affront, pushing away from him to give him a positively deadly scowl. Then, those sparking ochre eyes turned guarded. “Don’t think that ya can manipulate me so easily, fuckin’ baldy! If I say I’m not goin’, then I’m fuckin’ not goin’!! The hell do ya think you are?!”

 

She was getting all worked up again, but he remained calm in the face of her growing fury.

 

“I’ll wait for ya,” he told her evenly, cutting her off before her volatile temper could escalate further. She stared at him in disbelief, and he continued. “Next Saturday. At my private quarters in the Fifth Division Barracks. We’ll go ‘ta that yakiniku restaurant that you liked so much in the 15th District, and I’ll let ya stuff your face with however much ya can eat. Then, we’ll spend the rest of ‘ta day doin’ whatever ya want.”

 

Hiyori started to scowl. “Are ya hard of hearin’ or somethin’? I said I’m not goin’-”

 

“You’ll come,” he responded simply, much to her growing ire. “And do ya know why?”

 

She glared at him, but he merely met her angry gaze with steady confidence.

 

“Because the brat I know will never allow herself ‘ta lose ‘ta her fears.”

 

She froze briefly at his frank reply, and then, the anger really took over.

 

“ _Fuck you_ , _Shinji_.” This time, there was nothing but pure vitriol in her tone, but he took on her rage placidly, and that just made her even more furious.

 

“It’s a date, then,” he nonchalantly replied. He didn’t try to touch her anymore, because he knew that she would hardly welcome his embrace in her current state of mind.

  
“Don’t push me,” she growled lowly, warningly. She had been deftly outmaneuvered by him, and she did not appreciate it one bit. “You won’t like it if you force my hand.”

 

Shinji just stared at his highly defensive, visibly bristling lover. All of her mental walls were coming right up, shutting him out, but he had more or less expected this conversation to turn out like this, best case scenario included. “I’m not your enemy, Hiyori,” he told her with utmost gentleness, and the hidden tenderness in his tone briefly settled her wildly lashing temper. The vicious fire burning in her eyes faded slightly, but her posture was still rigid, angry and distrustful.

 

“Also, I won’t be comin’ over to the Living World anymore until we get this sorted out,” he stated, and she stiffened again, her eyes flashing. It was clearly an ultimatum – he was leaving her no choice at all.

 

“Good,” she hissed at last, her tone rife with pride and hostility. “Get ‘ta hell out and don’t come back. I don’t need ya around anyway.”

 

He knew that her words were clearly spoken in the heat of anger, but of course they still hurt. He smiled humorlessly at her.

 

“That’s kinda funny, brat, because you’re more important ‘ta me than anythin’ else I know.”

 

She looked like he had just slapped her hard across the face. She started to shake, and he had to steel his heart against that vulnerable expression in her eyes, peeking through her defenses no matter how hard she tried to hide it.  

 

“I won’t come no matter what you say,” she whispered at last, the Soul Ticket crumpling in her fist. “ _I won’t come_.”

 

“Hiyori,” he replied softly, ignoring her stubborn litany. His golden eyes pierced hers with quiet intensity. “I’ll be waitin’.”

 

He left her standing there, helpless and angry, as he turned resolutely and departed for Seireitei.

 

* * *

 

When the fated day came and went, Shinji wasn’t completely surprised that Hiyori hadn’t showed.

 

He could not deny that he was disappointed, but he had already known that it was going to take more time than a mere week to wear down her resistance. His lover possessed a stubborn streak a mile wide, and she had also never been too good at dealing with change. She had had the hardest time adapting to life in the Living Realm out of all of them at the beginning when they were exiled from Soul Society over a century ago, and she had also had the most trouble subduing her Inner Hollow as it wreaked havoc all over her usually ordered existence. Of course she was going to put up one hell of a fight now that he was trying to get her to return to the place that had been the start of all of her trauma and nightmares, to walk amongst the people and old friends who had abandoned her and left her for dead when she had gotten in trouble and act like nothing bad had ever happened.

 

She had always been honest in her passion, completely transparent about her likes and dislikes, and that was one of the many things that he loved about her. With Hiyori, what you see is what you get; if she was happy, then she was happy, and if she was not, well, somebody was going to be in for a vicious beating in very short order. She was also incredibly loyal to a fault, and once her trust was secured, it was good to last so long as the bond was not excessively abused or cruelly betrayed. Still, she was hardly perfect though, and possessed more than her share of faults; she was short-tempered, violent and extremely volatile at times, but she was still his brat, and he would not have her any other way.

 

This current situation was incredibly…unpleasant though, for the both of them. He was not thrilled to use his relationship with her in such a manipulative manner, but it was the only hand that he had available to use – subtle passivity would never work on her in this case, and he had no other choice but to whip out the big guns. He was about the only thing in Soul Society right now that could serve as a remotely passable ‘carrot’ to entice her over – her dislike and distrust of Soul Society was something that she had to learn to get over eventually, and the sooner he got her started on it, the better.

 

So now, the bait was set, and all that was left to do was to wait for her to take it.

 

Shinji was usually good with waiting though, but this time was going to severely test his patience. The stakes were considerably high, and he had also…grown used to having his brat around over the decades. Even though abstaining from her was not impossible, it was definitely going to be difficult.

 

The only thing that kept his resolve strong was the knowledge that she was his in every meaning of the word; he owned her heart just as surely as he owned her body, and he knew that their shared bond would lead her right back to him eventually, even if she fought against every moment of it.

 

He just had to _wait_.

 

* * *

 

The days dragged into weeks, and the weeks bled into months.

 

It was a silent battle of wills between them, a challenge of attrition to see who would give in first. She was proud and obstinate though, and he had known that she would not fold easily. But then again, he was no pushover himself – no matter how long this was going to take, he was already prepared to buckle down and wait it out. The seasons changed as he went on with his life in Seireitei, concentrating on his duties as the Gobantai Taichou and bonding with his new comrades, and the regular reports he received from Hachi and Lisa regarding Hiyori helped somewhat in that endeavor. His little lover was expectedly angry over the ultimatum that he had forced upon her, and she had been _furious at him_ for the months that followed. He heard that she had quickly channeled all that impotent rage into training, throwing herself in a blind, headlong charge into improving her battle skills, and it was just like her to try to use physical force to tackle any problems that came her way.

 

“Kisuke’s training a new stray,” Lisa was commenting over the phone one day. “Hiyori decided to help; they are getting along well enough, all things considered.”

 

“A new stray?” he asked. “I didn’t know that there were still humans with Shinigami potential in Karakura, now that Ichigo is no longer in the Living Realm ‘ta influence others with his spiritual powers.”

 

It had been two years since the end of the Thousand Year Blood War, and the orange-haired young man was now living in Soul Society, lending his immense strength to the Gotei 13 by serving as the Captain of the Hachibantai.

 

“You do know that Kurosaki Isshin has three children, right? One of the daughters is showing remarkable aptitude, and the strength of her reiatsu is exponentially increasing as she matures. They decided to teach her how to use her powers before she inadvertently loses control and accidentally harms the people around her.”

 

“And Hiyori’s actually helpin’?”

 

“Yeah. She’s been staying over at Kisuke’s more often than not these days, so I think she got roped into it in the end. The experience is good for her, all things considered. She’s starting to calm down a little.”

 

“Well, that only took half a year,” he muttered under his breath. It was a good thing that they were all such long-lived beings, but Shinji was not looking forward to having to wait decades for his lover to start coming around.

 

Lisa was completely unsympathetic though. “Quit bitching. You didn’t even have the decency to stick around for the initial meltdown that the rest of us had to sit through after you pissed her off that badly.”

 

“I was tryin’ ‘ta make a point,” he defended himself halfheartedly. “The dramatic exit was necessary.”

 

Lisa didn’t even bother to comment about that stupid remark. “Is this all you’re calling for?” she asked boredly then, clearly more interested in getting back to her new swimsuit magazine than speaking with this lovesick idiot.

 

“Yeah,” Shinji muttered at last. “Keep me updated if there’s anything new. Thanks, Lisa.”

 

“Will do.”

 

* * *

 

A year.

 

It had been an entire year since he last stepped foot in the Living World, and by now, Shinji was bored, jaded, and had more or less settled into a semi-permanent state of lethargic tedium as he fulfilled his duties to his Division. Life in Soul Society was unbearably slow and the rules that governed Seireitei particularly rigid and intolerant – there really wasn’t much happening in the Gotei 13 when there wasn’t a war or dimension wide emergency/invasion going on. He was more than a bit worn out and fed up with the direction of his life lately, not to mention feeling increasingly heart sore over missing his brat.

 

Work was an adequate distraction from his personal melancholy, and so he buried himself right in it. He was actually starting to like work so much that he was somehow in the running for the position of Most Hardworking Captain of the Year alongside with the Taichou of the Rokubantai and the Juubantai.

 

Work was good. Work kept him focused and grounded – even though he was feeling pretty damn miserable inside. It was Winter once again and the annual auditing and inspecting process had just drawn to a close, and he was completely and utterly exhausted.

 

“Hirako Taichou, I think you really should rest.” Momo fluttered about her Captain anxiously. The man had been working nonstop in his office for the past few days and he looked very close to burning out. On the upside, the Fifth Division was now completely in the clear when it came to their bureaucratic responsibilities. On the downside, her poor Taichou looked like he was going to collapse from sleep deprivation very soon.

 

Shinji waved away her concerns absently. “Don’t worry ‘bout it, Momo-chan. Pass me the folder of recommended recruits graduating the Shinigami Academy next Spring. I might as well start lookin’ through that list now.”

 

The black-haired Lieutenant bit her lip in hesitation, pausing indecisively before she reluctantly moved to fulfill her superior’s order. Two hours later, even that was done, and the golden-haired Shinigami/Vizard hybrid was starting to go through the Division’s monetary expenses and other related expenditures for Spring’s budgeting review when a sudden flare of reiatsu had him dropping his brush in surprise, splattering ink all over a pristine sheet of parchment. The achingly familiar spiritual energy was gone as quickly as it had appeared though, and momentarily dazed, Shinji wondered if he had somehow imagined it.

 

From the next desk over, Momo eyed her Captain curiously. He was wearing the strangest look on his face and his previously tired gaze was now sharp, snapping straight to the window, and at the same time, his posture was slowly becoming alert. “Hirako Taichou…? Is there anything wrong?”

 

Must to his disappointment, he failed to sense a thing after that. He must have been getting way too tired, if his mind was hallucinating Hiyori’s presence.

 

“…Aa, it’s nothin’. I was just woolgathering-”

 

Then, that reiatsu slapped him right in the face once more, this time even stronger than before and pulsing with vitality, and he was immediately half out of his chair in instinctive response. It was not a figment of his imagination.

 

_It was really her._

 

The implications of her being here were immense, and Shinji was swiftly rounding his desk and heading for the exit in the blink of an eye.

 

“Hirako Taichou!”

 

“Sorry, Momo-chan, but I’m takin’ the rest of the day off. I’ll leave everything else ‘ta ya,” he muttered as he stepped quickly out of the doorway, not even waiting long enough to hear her reply, his Captain haori billowing out from behind him with urgency and purpose. He didn’t feel particularly guilty for leaving his Lieutenant to finish up on her own; most of the work had already been done, anyway.

 

Right now, his attention was focused purely on the spiritual energy that was lingering ahead of him, and the moment he stepped out of the administrative wing of the barracks, he was immediately using shunpo, single-mindedly tracking it down. He did not have to go far, her reiatsu was radiating from his personal quarters a few buildings over and he was bursting through the door in the blink of an eye, swiftly striding down the hallway and entering his bedroom where he sensed her presence.

 

_And then there she was_ , her petite silhouette framed by the window that she was standing in front of, still wearing that familiar red tracksuit with the pants that was rolled up to her delicate calves, her light blonde hair up in its customary pigtails. She had her back to him as she was looking at the view of the backyard outside of his window, but she quickly turned to face him the moment he approached, her catlike ochre eyes slightly guarded and apprehensive as their gazes converged on each other.

 

He stopped under the doorway and just watched her, hungrily drinking in the sight of her.

 

“ _Hiyori_ ,” he breathed, the tightness in his chest he didn’t even know existed immediately easing at her proximity.

 

She did not look as pleased to see him as he did her, though. Her eyes hardened dangerously in response, and then, faster than he remembered she could move, she swiftly closed the distance between them by simply phasing right in front of him.

 

She also wasted no time socking him right in the gut.

 

_Oof._ He doubled over slightly as air wheezed out of his lungs; as usual, she saw no need to pull her punches with him. He didn’t even know why he still bothered to be surprised by her violent greeting.

 

“That was for purposely leaving me alone for one whole year, asshole!” she growled fiercely, angrily to him. Before he could react to that, she reached out, grabbed him by his cravat, dragged him down to her level, and kissed him, hard.

 

He responded immediately, his pain promptly forgotten, surging up against her, his mouth parting to catch her tongue, quickly sucking the small slick muscle inside as he greedily plundered her lips with his own, drinking from her like a man about to die of thirst after a long sojourn through a dry, merciless desert. His hands came up to frame her face, tilting her towards him and holding her in place for his sweet ravaging, and by the time he finally let go of her mouth long enough to let her breathe, they were both panting hard. He leaned his forehead against hers, and then wrapped one arm around her small waist and pulled her close to him in a tight embrace. She did not resist him.

 

“Are ya happy now?” she demanded hoarsely, her eyes piercing his. “The only reason I’m here is because of _you_.”

 

For her to say something like that was equivalent to a declaration of undying love and devotion coupled with a proposal of marriage. He wanted very, very badly to haul her off to bed right there and then to show her exactly how happy he was to hear her say that, but he just settled for kissing her again – for now.

 

“What took ya so long, stupid?” he growled back huskily against her mouth sometime later. “You’re eight thousand seven hundred and sixty six hours late, brat. I’m demanding recompense for all this time that you made me wait, so don’t think that you’re goin’ anywhere until I’ve completely had my fill of ya.”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So, this is technically a post-Bleach chapter. Let’s just assume that Ichigo is going to take over the empty Hachibantai Captaincy post, because I can’t see any other reason why Kubo-sensei would leave that position empty if he’s already foreshadowing Ichigo’s future residency in Seireitei. I wonder who’s going to be the Fukutaichou, though.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Yes, so the lovers were separated for a year. That might not seem very long, but if you’re stuck in a cold war with your significant other and you have no way of communicating with and/or knowing what him/her is doing, that’s really one damn long-ass year.

 

I was tempted to drag it out even longer (a decade should do it, since they are such long-lived beings), but I figured that it won’t take that long for Hiyori to cave. She’s quite an impatient individual after all (especially when her emotions are brought into the picture), and she would know Shinji well enough to understand that he wasn’t going to budge from his stand once he made up his mind. So there you go.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Nothing much to add in this chapter, so I think I’m just gonna stop here.

 

I hope you guys enjoyed this installment, and to all my lovely reviewers for the previous chapters – thanks! You guys really made my day! =)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And as always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	13. The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4151

**Rating:** M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!!**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 05/08/13

**Completed on:** 06/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/08/13

 

* * *

**The First Step Is Always the Hardest – Part II**

* * *

 

His haori and vest were already discarded and lying in a heap on the floor, his kosode rumpled and hanging half off of his broad shoulders as she straddled his lap and kissed him hungrily and with increasing need. They had quickly taken their bonding over to his futon, and while he seemed momentarily content to just gather her in his arms and hold her, pulling her flush against him and running his hands all over her with blatant affection, she was more impatient and was very quickly pushing for more.

 

“Your hair’s longer,” he commented with pleasure, freeing the light golden strands from their pigtailed confines and running his fingers through them. She arched and purred roughly under his touch. Her messy tresses fell softly past her shoulders now, as opposed to only reaching her chin as it had the last time he saw her. “You really grew it out.”

 

There was also something else that was different. It was very subtle, but now that she was in his arms, he could tell very easily. “You’re also a bit taller.”

 

That could only mean one thing for Souls like them – her spiritual capacity had increased again, thereby forcing her physical height to shoot up by a couple of inches to adapt as well. That was a surprise to him; he had thought she was already done growing, but evidently, she was still not up to her full potential yet. Just what kind of training had she been up to in the last year?

 

Hiyori was not interested in idle chitchat right now, though.

 

“Dammit, Shinji,” the horny and sexually frustrated young woman burst out. “Can ya shut up for a bit? Just lemme fuck ya, _now_.”

 

As usual, she was not one to beat around the bush. It had been more than a year since they had last made love, and she was getting really desperate for his physical attention. While sex hadn’t exactly been the main driving force behind the reason for her being here (it was still a pretty damn important consideration, though), now that he was so temptingly close by, his scent and presence tantalizing her and driving her absolutely crazy, Hiyori was abruptly reminded of all the empty nights she had spent without him to soothe her needs. All that sexual repression from all those unsatisfied, unfulfilled evenings had given rise to a flood of need and desire that was throbbing hungrily in her, and if he wasn’t going to do anything about it, _then she would_.

 

She shoved him onto his back unceremoniously, following him right down onto the bed at the same time as she reached up and kissed him lustily. Her soft mouth sucked at his with hot, incredibly persuasive carnality that quickly had his blood heating up in his veins, and his focus immediately concentrated purely on the slight, delightful female wrapped in his arms. Her small, wet tongue probed demandingly against the seam of his lips for entrance, and then wasted no time pushing right past to boldly explore his oral cavity and then engage his own pierced one. He was more than happy to oblige her.

 

At the same time, her hands were tugging at his uniform frantically, trying to get him out of it as quickly as possible. She reached for his hakama-himo, hastily undoing the clothed ties around his waist and loosening his hakama, even as she broke away from their kiss to run her mouth erotically along his jawline and down his neck and chest, licking and nipping as she did so.

 

He groaned at her enthusiastic ministrations and reached out for her, but she quickly slapped his hands away. Hiyori was not in the mood to be teased any further by him, which was exactly what would happen if she let him touch her right now. “ _No_ ,” she growled out aggressively. “Just lie there and don’t move.”

 

He was more amused by her snappy, bossy order than anything, and he was also curious to see what she would do, therefore he subsided obligingly for now. She was not the only one who was eager to make love to her other half in this relationship, after all, but she had conceded no small amount of her pride to be here in Seireitei with him, and he was more than willing to let her have some semblance of control over this – for a little while, at least.

 

Hiyori quickly went back to kissing her way hungrily down his chest, acting very much like an angrily possessive little feline marking her territory as she went along the way, her small hands roughly pushing aside his kosode and under robe to reveal the rest of his lean and incredibly toned torso. She wiggled low over him to place little love bites all over his sleek, rippling abdomen and down the sides of his narrow, exposed hips, scraping at his skin with her teeth every once in a while and then laving at the reddened marks with her small, pink tongue as she did so. Not surprisingly, her deliberate attentions quickly made powerful, heady arousal rush through him like a giddy tide – despite his exhaustion, her mere touch and the feel of her soft mouth caressing his body was enough to make him grow very hard in response, and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to just grab her and roll her under him, to drive her mad with lust just as surely as she was doing to him right now—

 

She undid his fundoshi then, releasing his erection from the cloth confines. Lying on her stomach between his legs, she grabbed his rigid length with her hands and bent her head over it, sticking out her tongue and slowly and deliberately licking the highly sensitive, turgid organ from root to tip.

 

He nearly shot straight off of the futon in response, not expecting her to do anything like that. “ _Hiyori_!”

 

She ignored his yelp and licked him again, a rapt and intent expression on her face as she ran her tongue up his length once more, and then she kept repeating her actions, doing it with such insatiable enthusiasm that it completely shook him. Her eyes locked with his mid lick, and the blatant gleam of sexual excitement in her eyes made him throb with responding lust. _Fuck_. He was actually more turned on by the titillating sight of _her_ giving him a blowjob than the act itself.

 

Then, she unhesitatingly engulfed him in the warm, moist heat of her mouth, and he nearly swallowed his own tongue as she immediately ramped up the temperature in the room. He was quickly perspiring, a low pleasured grunt escaping him as she sucked on him insistently like a lollipop, at the same time dragging her rough tongue along the hypersensitive underside of his penis as she moved her mouth up and down his stiff length for as far as she could manage. Her hands closed over the part of his shaft that she could not take past her lips, her small fists squeezing him hard and rhythmically, and he was so dazed by the pleasure of the act that he had trouble remembering his own name. At the rate she was going – her lips were wrapped tightly around him like a vacuum seal and that small, agile tongue of hers was doing all sorts of things to him that made him completely lightheaded – he was going to spend himself right in her mouth if he wasn’t careful.

 

“Hiyori - _brat_ , stop,” he panted harshly, almost pleadingly, at last. “For all that’s good and holy, _please stop_.”

 

She looked at that pained grimace on his face and took pity on him. Releasing him from the exquisite torture of her sweet mouth, she pushed herself up to sit between his legs and slowly licked her lips, cocking her head curiously as she did so.

 

“Was it no good?” she asked huskily. “You don’t like it? Yoruichi said that most men do.”

 

He tried to catch hold of her then, intending to reciprocate and churn her into a lust-filled frenzy as well, but she evaded him nimbly.

 

“I do,” he growled. “I liked it too damn much.” He was going to have to find out how the hell the cat woman had taught her such techniques, but his little lover looked so pleased with herself that all he wanted was to lay his hands on her and love her so well that she became nothing more than a boneless mass of contentment and sexual satisfaction.

 

The time for playing was quickly coming to an end, and she seemed to realize it as well. He was lying in a complete disarray amongst the futon, his uniform crumpled around and under him in careless abandon, his golden eyes fixed on her, burning with such fierce desire for her that it made her quiver with anticipation inside. Meeting his fiery gaze unflinchingly, she started to shed her own clothes, kicking off her track pants, shrugging off her jacket and then pulling her white tank top over and off her head, revealing her sports bra. He sat up quickly as well, helping her remove her underwear and then reaching over to kiss her deeply and with such ravenous passion that she could only moan helplessly into his mouth. She tasted faintly of him, and it drove his senses into an utter frenzy as the urge to couple with her right away became overwhelming.

 

Tugging her panties free from her body, he tossed the tiny scrap of cotton to the side and wasted no time reaching between her legs. She had other ideas though, and pushed him back onto the futon before he could touch her. Now completely nude, she threw a slender, bare leg over his loins, kneeling between his narrow hips and reaching down to grasp his erection.

 

“Hiyori!” He tried to stall her. “You’re not ready yet. Lemme touch ya first-”

 

She silenced him with a lustful look.

  
“I want you _now_ , Shinji,” she bit out, and it didn’t really matter what else he said, for she was intent on getting her way. The petite blonde took his arousal in her hand and rubbed the tip languidly against the entrance of her body. She was already damp with excitement, and she bit her lips at the promise of pleasure that flirted with her senses as she slowly lowered herself onto the head of his penis.

 

Watching the way her small body slowly took in his rigid length was _erotic as hell_. She was still not quite slick enough yet to smoothly accommodate his girth, and so she had to languidly circle her slender hips to slowly, carefully, slide him even deeper inside of her. It ensured that she felt every single inch of him as she struggled to take him in, and her spine slowly arched as he filled her inside, her breath hitching, a flush growing on her face, her eyelashes fluttering as she concentrated on the utterly welcome sensation of taut pleasure as he invaded her sensitive inner walls and forced them to part and ripple helplessly around him instead. An arousing little sound escaped her throat, a mix of a whimper and a whine, and her knees went momentarily weak when he was finally fully hilted in her.

 

“ _F-fuck_ ,” she hissed out shakily, and he couldn’t agree more.

 

She was so bloody tight after a year of sexual abstinence that he couldn’t even concentrate on anything but the mesmerizing heat of her body and the way she was gripping him like a damn vice. She pressed a small hand against his chest for support as she gathered her legs under her. Crouching over him, she started to move, decisively lifting herself up and nearly dislodging his entire engorged erection from inside of her until its mushroomed head was rubbing teasingly against the entrance of her slick vulva, made exquisitely swollen and extremely hypersensitive from arousal, before quickly sinking back down and engulfing him within her grasping, moist channel once more. He grunted, but held himself back from reaching for her as she quickly worked out a pace and rhythm that suited both of their increasingly frantic needs for mutual sexual fulfillment.

 

Watching her ride him was one of the sexiest encounters that he had had the pleasure of participating in. She was explicitly arranged before his hungry, intent gaze, her legs spread wide apart with an utter lack of embarrassment or shame, and it gave him a front seat view to her that was so intimately exclusive that just looking at her was enough to get him incredibly high on lust alone. The wild, passion fogged glow in her beautiful feline eyes, the sensual little cries that she gave out, the utterly arousing look of focus on her face as she concentrated on him and the pursuit of their carnal pleasure, they all added to the amazing experience that came with loving Hiyori. She had always been completely forthright and open when it came to the physical nature of their relationship, and this time was no different.

 

The wet, erotic sounds of their mating filled the air. Hiyori reached down between her legs to touch herself, eagerly fingering the tight little nub of hypersensitive nerve endings sitting high over her labia even as she moved over him again and again with increasingly desperate abandon, intensifying her experience. Their eyes met and locked. She looked at him with alluring desire, a slight, naughty gleam in her ochre eyes as she smirked breathlessly at him and deliberately put on a show just for his benefit, licking her lips at the same time.

 

He groaned at her playful provocation and had to clench his fists into the futon covers to keep from making a grab at her. The little minx. She knew exactly what she was doing to him, and the utterly sensual way her body was clinging to him every time she sat him deep in her, the incredible friction that arose between them each time either of them moved, they all brought increasingly powerful waves of sexual pleasure rippling across his overwhelmed senses. She was so mind numbingly snug and it felt so good to be able to be so close to her again after their long separation.

 

Shinji did not think that he was going to be able to bear it for very long; it had been more than a damn year since he last had her, after all, and his commitment to their relationship had ensured that he kept perfectly faithful to her – to do anything else was simply unthinkable. He was well rewarded for his patience though; the maddening way that she was teasing him with her body was driving him absolutely crazy – and he was loving every second of it. He was going to lose it very soon, he was absolutely sure – but before it happened, he was determined to take her along with him for the ride.

 

Luckily enough, she was quickly getting close as well. His sheer presence and masculine scent was acting like a powerful aphrodisiac for her – no matter how she tried to deny it, she had missed him badly – and even hearing the sound of his voice right now, the simple acknowledgement of his heavy lidded gaze on her, they all ignited something instinctual in her and made her feel so horny and turned on that she could probably just get off on those heady sensations alone. His physical stimulations just further intensified those feelings, and the way his hard length was positioned to penetrate her ensured that he hit all the right spots each time she sheathed him inside of her, and by now, she had become so slippery from arousal that every rough thrust pushed her even nearer to the edge.

 

“S-Shinji,” she shuddered helplessly, moaning out his name like a prayer, her movements quickening instinctively with her impending orgasm. “ _Shinji._ ”

 

She was bracing both of her hands against his chest by now, leaning more into him for support, grinding against him desperately as the tendrils of sexual fulfillment gripped her tighter and tighter, and at last she broke her own resolve and closed that last few inches between them, kissing him in a needy manner.

 

Shinji saw it as his cue to finally make his move.

 

“Will ya lemme love ya properly now, brat?” he asked huskily against her mouth then, and shakily, she nodded.

 

He immediately snaked his arm around her small waist and held her close. She had been doing most of the work and now, he was more than happy to reciprocate. Kissing her hungrily, he pulled her flush against him and then reached down and tugged her legs up to wrap around his waist, spreading her wider apart so that he was even more deeply embedded in her than before. She keened at the sensation, and then he quickly reversed their positions, rolling them over on the futon until she was the one lying on it, his longer, larger frame easily dwarfing hers.

 

He liked having her under him – it was probably one of his favorite positions where she was concerned. She was such a feisty, spirited little thing, and it was always a pleasure to hold her close. She usually blustered a lot, but there was little she could do when he had her pinned, and he definitely appreciated the level of intimacy the position provided them both. Right now, she was completely drugged by passion – her small, impish face flushed, her feline ochre eyes dazed with lust, her mouth swollen from his kisses, her hair falling tousled around her like a golden halo. She looked utterly desirable to him, and kissing her deeply once more, he started to move.

 

She clung to him immediately, a sexy little mew escaping her mouth, her hips straining against his as she struggled to get him back inside of her, her legs tightening around his middle as she pressed close. She was such a demanding little lover, and she moved with him with such perfect ease and concert – her sheer responsiveness to him was simply addictive. He wasted no time picking up the pace of their lovemaking – thrusting right back into her with a swift, hard stroke, and then quickly repeating his actions, flexing his lean but powerful flanks to piston in and out of her with speed and dexterity.

 

Hiyori moaned against her lover’s mouth. The way he always filled her to complete fullness felt simply amazing, and she was so painfully aroused right now that his actions were just adding to that delicious tension growing in her womb. Incredibly restless now, she pulled away from his kisses and pressed her face into the side of his neck instead, ardently licking and nipping at his throat with her tongue and teeth, her blunt nails digging into the back of his shoulders, and all but humping against him frantically as the spring inside of her wound tighter and tighter.

 

He growled lowly at the enticing way she was squeezing him, her sleek, rippling passage massaging his turgid erection so exquisitely and with increasing tautness that it was starting to become a challenge not to be affected. Like himself, she, too, was very near now – he could tell by the way she was quivering in his arms, how she was struggling to move with him – and it urged him to rock even harder against her, a response that she fully reciprocated with every answering twitch of her own hips.

 

And then, when a particularly deep thrust managed to nudge that elusive sweet spot inside of her, Hiyori jerked helplessly under him and very quickly started to come apart. Shinji immediately leaned over her and plugged her mouth with his own, swallowing her loud cries of pleasure and holding her tightly as she went wild under him, her body convulsing as her orgasm quickly overtook her senses. Her hot, slick channel gripped him hard, contracting around his rigid length with merciless pressure, and she arched into him with frantic passion. He was immediately caught in her sensual spell; the familiar tingling growing at the base of his spine simply became too intense to ignore, and with a couple more quick, erratic strokes, the all-consuming throes of her strong orgasm swiftly brought forth his own. Hilting himself deeply within her with a hard, pleasured grunt, he finally gave in to the persuasions of her sweet body, his lean, rangy form shuddering finely as he tensed and finally spilled his seed inside of her.

 

The entire experience was so intense that it actually _drained_ him. With a husky sigh, he collapsed unceremoniously on top of her, taking a brief minute to recollect himself as they both recovered from their sexual exertions. He eventually mustered enough strength to turn over to lie on the futon, and then he lazily drew the still lightly quivering form of his petite lover to him and affectionately nuzzled her. She was unusually passive for once, and she allowed him to cuddle her without putting up any sort of resistance whatsoever.

 

Much to his surprise and delight, she turned to him after a while and started to lightly kiss his neck in return, tiny, opened mouthed affairs up the side of his throat and to his jawline, with little hints of teeth and tongue every now and then. Her small hands also started to stroke his chest and whichever part of him that she could reach quite amorously, and it didn’t take him long to understand that she was already asking for Round Two.

 

Shinji didn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

 

Groaning into her hair, he pulled her flush against him and caught her hands before they could wander too far. “Have mercy on me, brat,” he mumbled at last. “I haven’t slept a wink the last few days; at least let me take a short nap first – I promise ‘ta take real good care of ya once I’m rested.”

 

She peeked up at him, studying him intently. He did look a bit wan now that he mentioned it. She hadn’t really noticed earlier over the sheer, giddy excitement of being with him after so long, but since he had taken the initial edge off, she supposed she could wait.

 

“We’ll do it as many times as I want?” she asked unabashedly, and his golden eyes darkened slightly in response. She had never been too shy when it came to the physical aspect of their relationship, and exhausted or not, he was still a man and her obvious desire for him was such a turn on – especially since he wanted her just as much, if not even more. They had quite a bit of lost time to make up for, after all.

 

“Until ya can’t even walk,” he promised in a low, intimate timbre that had her slowly licking her lips in response, her ochre eyes dilating slightly with renewed lust. She was looking entirely too arousing for her own good and he groaned again. “You’re gonna be the death of me,” he muttered, pulling her close and lightly nipping her neck. She squirmed against him, quickly turning her head to kiss his mouth, obviously in an affectionate mood, and he allowed it briefly before he made her settle down in his arms.

 

“Stay with me,” he demanded huskily in her ear, and after a bit of customary protests, she at last agreed.

 

“Ya promised ‘ta take me out for yakiniku too,” she reminded him then, and he looked at her rather dryly.

 

“Are ya really sure ya came ‘ta Seireitei for me, or just for ‘ta sex and free food?” he asked.

 

She pretended to pause for a moment to think before she answered him, and he growled, unamused. She could not help herself; she threw her head back and barked sharply with laughter.

 

“Just kiddin’.” Sobering, she continued. “I wouldn’t be here for anyone else, even if they were offerin’ ‘ta same things.”

 

“Ya better not even think of it,” he muttered, but her simple, candid reply pleased him, so much so that he felt the urge to demonstrate his overwhelming affection for her once again. “Oh, to hell with this.”

 

He could always sleep later.

 

He rolled her onto her back then, and kissed her deeply once more, his hand reaching down between her legs to touch her intimately, much to her surprise.

 

“Shinji! I thought ya said that ya can’t get it up anymore?”

 

Now his male pride was definitely dented, not to mention he was also feeling quite offended by her mistaken assumption.

  
“ _I never said that_. I’m tired, not impotent, stupid. Now, be quiet and lemme love ya; I’ll show ya how well I can ‘get it up.’ Can’t get it up, my ass…”

 

* * *

  
** Omake **

 

Momo eyed the small blonde woman sitting across the table with no small amount of curiosity as the latter kept her head down and just concentrated on her meal. All around them, the Captains and Lieutenants of the Third, the Fifth, the Eight, and the Ninth, together with the two Fukutaichou of the Sixth and the Thirteenth, were gathered in a popular yakiniku restaurant in the 15th District for dinner and drinks after work. Not surprisingly, the proprietor had to cordon off a portion of the modest shop to accommodate the large amount of high ranking Shinigami, but food and sake flowed freely as multiple conversations were being held concurrently around the large table.

 

Kurosaki Taichou was arguing with Rukia-san again over at the other end of the table, both looking quite irritated, while Renji sat in their midst and mediated halfheartedly with no small amount of amusement. Beside her, Kira and Hisagi were engaged in a quiet discussion over the latest issue of the Seireitei news magazine with the ever effervescent Kuna-san jumping in every once in a while to interrupt, and last but not least, the other three Captains rounded out the group, sharing sake and idly exchanging quips as they did so.

 

Sarugaki-san sat close to the latter trio, right beside Hirako Taichou, in fact, though she seemed to pay no attention to them (or anyone else, really) as she contentedly consumed the slices of tender grilled beef piled on her plate. For someone with a relatively small stature, she possessed a considerable appetite, and she was already working on her third serving for the night. The petite female was also obviously close to her fellow Vizards, and Hirako Taichou would occasionally pick up pieces of cooked meat from one of the sizzling griddles at the center of the table with a pair of chopsticks and replenish her plate for her. Her Captain was obviously quite fond of the reticent young woman; even though the latter frowned at him for babying her so, he just looked amused and continued to ferry her food.

 

It seemed that the two shared some sort of bond that all the other Captains were aware of, judging by how they weren’t even batting an eye over it. Momo’s curiosity grew further. She wondered why Sarugaki-san had not visited Seireitei earlier with the other remaining unaffiliated Vizards - the dark-haired Lieutenant had already met Yadomaru-san, Aikawa-san and Ushoda-san a year or so back when Kyouraku Soutaichou gained permission from Central 46 to allow the Hybrids unrestricted passage between the two realms, but this was the first time that she had met the pigtailed blonde.

 

Momo was startled from her musings when sharp, feline ochre eyes suddenly pierced her soft, inquisitive doe brown ones.

 

“You’ve been lookin’ at me for a while now. What do ya want?” Hiyori demanded rather abruptly.

 

The Gobantai Fukutaichou flushed with chagrin at being caught. The female Vizard had not even been looking at her, but had somehow noticed her staring all the same. The rumors she had heard of the blonde being an ex-Fukutaichou were starting to have a ring of truth to them.  

 

“Sumimasen, Sarugaki-san!” the dark-haired young woman politely apologized, bowing her head slightly at the same time. “Anou.. I was just wondering why you weren’t here with the other Vizards last year…? I’m just a bit curious; you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, really!”

 

Hiyori just eyed the Shinigami neutrally as she chowed down on her grilled beef. This was the baldy’s new Lieutenant. She was definitely an upgrade compared to his last one (who had stuffed a Hollow in each of them, had them all summarily exiled and pretty much screwed all of them over), and she was quite obviously the cute and feminine sweetie pie type, what with her pretty looks and eager to please demeanor. For some reason, Hiyori was suddenly feeling very irritated.

 

“…I don’t like Seireitei,” she muttered curtly at last, leaving the other girl to draw her own conclusions as she continued to eat her food.

 

Momo floundered briefly for a while, not sure what to else to say. She had clearly broached an uncomfortable topic, and after a while, the Fifth Division Fukutaichou carefully ventured again. “Erm, still, you’re here now, right? I’m sure if you come visit more often, you’ll slowly start to like Seireitei again.”

 

The girl was so friendly and genuinely nice that it was quite impossible to dislike her. Hiyori slowly licked sauce from her fingers and considered the dark-haired Shinigami contemplatively. She shrugged at last.

 

“Maybe.”

 

Encouraged by the reply, Momo was eager to continue the conversation. “What made you change your mind and finally visit, Sarugaki-san?”

 

Hiyori’s eyes suddenly gleamed. If her other half had seen the mischievous look on her face then, he would have known immediately that she was up to no good. Unfortunately, Shinji had been drawn into conversation with Ichigo and Rose, and therefore was not paying any attention whatsoever.

 

“I was promised free sex and great food,” she replied with complete nonchalance.

 

_Splurt_.

 

It turned out that the Fukutaichou of the Third and the Ninth were also listening in the conversation, and both Kira and Hisagi immediately spat out their sake. Momo’s eyes grew so wide that they nearly took up half of her face, and then the poor girl turned utterly red as she gaped between Sarugaki-san and Hirako Taichou, the latter just realizing that something was up.

 

“Brat, what are ya tellin’ these people?”

 

Hiyori shrugged again.

 

“My bad; I meant that I’m here for the great sex and free food.”

 

There was a pause.

 

“Actually, they’re both free. And great.”

 

By now, the entire table was quiet, but Hiyori just casually turned back to her plate and continued to dig into her meal. The gist of the conversation was pretty clear to Shinji, judging by the way everyone was looking at him. He resisted the urge to palm his face. Instead, he turned to look exasperatedly at his little imp instead.

 

“Was that really necessary?”

 

The pigtailed blonde did not even bat an eye, brazen as ever.

 

“Yer Fukutaichou asked. I just answered.”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Yep, the omake is Hiyori’s way of ‘subtly’ baring her fangs and laying claim to her man, which, as you can see, is hardly very subtle at all. She’s not clingy or easily jealous by nature (at least not most of the time and not without good cause), I feel, but she’s definitely a possessive little thing. Shinji belongs to her and so of course she would boldly stake her claim for all and sundry to know. Poor Momo-chan just happened to be caught up in the whole thing by accident!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Hiyori grew out her hair a little during their one year separation. It’s roughly the length of how it used to be in the ‘Turn Back the Pendulum’ arc, and I will probably have it stay that way for now. I feel that slightly longer pigtails make Hiyori look less childlike somehow, and more like the cute young woman that she is, so there you go. It’s just a very mild aesthetic change though, so no objections, I hope.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

I have my own theory regarding the growth of Souls that would hopefully explain why everyone seems to be maturing at different rates in Soul Society.

 

Basically, it has something to do with Reiryoku (spiritual power) and personal strength. I believe that physical growth is tied to spiritual growth for Souls, which means that they only hit growth spurts every time they experience a breakthrough in their personal abilities. That would explain why everyone in Seireitei is so obsessed with becoming stronger and stronger. Of course, different individuals have different rates of growth – some develop faster while others struggle and take a long time to reach personal milestones, and then some have greater capacities (potential) for growth and therefore will have to make more effort to breakthrough their higher glass ceiling while others have it slightly easier and would therefore mature faster, etc. This is why a young looking person (e.g. Toshiro) might not necessarily be weak, just like a matured adult Soul might not necessarily be strong. Not all men are created equal, and that is the same for Souls.  

 

It would also explain why the residents in Rukongai seem to stagnate in terms of aging – in other words, no development in terms of Reiryoku, no physical growth, simple as that.

 

I believe development in terms of Reiryoku and spiritual abilities would especially accelerate during youth and young adulthood (hence why spirits like Byakuya, Akon and Gin could mature from child to adults in the span of a short century), and then slow down and plateau once a Soul’s corporeal form is that of a full grown adult (late twenties, early thirties, etc), so physical aging slows down with it as well. It would explain why some of the older Shinigami are still relatively youthful looking despite being old as dirt (e.g. Ukitake, Kyouraku, Unohana, etc.). That is not to say that they are not getting stronger – just that they are not doing so anymore at insane rates.

 

The same thing applies for the Vizards as well. My hypothesis is that, due to their dual type Hollow/Shinigami spiritual powers, their potential for personal growth is at least doubled, and therefore it now takes even more for them to develop (or level up), which is why the entire lot of them looks like they haven’t aged at all during their one hundred year exile in the Living realm. Also, Hiyori’s still considered quite young for a soul, and therefore she’s literally still growing (even if it take _decades_ for her just to sprout a mere couple of inches). L &T!Hiyori is around 19 - 20 in terms of maturity, and since a woman can still (in theory) develop physically until the age of 21, well, she does possess the potential to become taller – though whether she manages to fulfill said potential is another matter altogether.

 

All that said and done, the girl’s still pretty much a midget though – she’s petite by nature – so don’t hold out too high hopes that she would be growing much, haha.

 

Yes, long ass explanation, I know, and all based on nothing but my personal speculations, but well, I’ve been pondering how aging works in Soul Society for quite a while, and this seems like one of the more plausible possibilities to me. Tell me what you think!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

For those who are unfamiliar with the terms/romaji that I use to refer to the Gotei 13 and its respective divisions, here’s the list for you to refer to:

 

Goteijusantai – Gotei 13

Ichibantai – First Division

Nibantai – Second Division

Sanbantai – Third Division

Yonbantai – Fourth Division

Gobantai – Fifth Division

Rokubantai – Sixth Division  

Nanabantai – Seventh Division

Hachibantai – Eight Division

Kyuubantai – Ninth Division

Juubantai – Tenth Division

Juuichibantai – Eleventh Division

Juunibantai – Twelfth Division

Juusanbantai – Thirteen Division

 

Feel free to let me know if you have any further questions!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, my dear, dear friend lilithkiss has kindly created another uberly lovely ShiYori fanart – this time for this particular arc of L&T, ‘The First Step Is Always the Hardest.’ I have linked the piece (as always, it can be found on my profile page, under 'Fanarts'), so do have a look if you are free. Remember to give the wonderful Lilith lots of love and kudos when you visit her page! =)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, new arc again next chapter, and as always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	14. Can't Keep My Hands Off You, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2549

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 07/08/13

**Completed on:** 09/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 01/09/13

 

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Can’t Keep My Hands Off You, Part I**

* * *

 

Fidgeting at the entrance of the warehouse, Hiyori waited rather impatiently for her companion to emerge from the building.

 

She had been looking forward to this day for _weeks_.

 

“Damn baldy!” she burst out at last. “Can ya move faster?! What’s the hold up?!”

 

An exasperated Shinji reluctantly slogged out less than a minute later.

 

He had been dreading this day for _weeks_.

 

“Hold yer horses, will ya?” he muttered. “The thing won’t even start for hours. We still got lotsa time.”

 

Hiyori just scowled at him. “No, we don’t!! We need ‘ta get there early, or all ‘ta good spots will be taken! So hurry up and move it!!”

 

She was a bossy little thing as usual, but she looked so eager and excited at that moment that he could not quite say no to her. Her feline eyes were bright with anticipation and her petite frame seemed to be all but vibrating with pent up energy, and it was so rare to see her in such high spirits that he sighed inwardly and conceded to her wishes.

 

“Alright, alright, ya win. Let’s just quickly get this over and done with.”

 

Today was the day that her favorite band was in town for a special meet-and-greet, and somehow, she had managed to procure a pair of passes to the exclusive event. Obviously someone had to accompany her to make sure that nothing untoward happened (at this point the Vizards were more concerned for the wellbeing and safety of the general public than anything else), and they had all drawn lots to see who would have to go with Hiyori. Much to Shinji’s dismay, he had ended up with the short straw and was thereby unceremoniously saddled with the responsibility of making sure that Hiyori would not cause too much property damage or mass hysteria on this jaunty little outing of hers, and already he could tell that this was going to be one of those days.

 

Hiyori’s music preference was very much like her character – an acquired taste. It was loud, aggressive, and edgy, and it never failed to make Shinji’s head hurt. The brat absolutely _loved_ it, though, and from the very first time she heard the piercing riff of the electric guitar that struck a deep chord in her soul and the spellbinding drum solo that made her heart throb in time to the beat, she had very quickly fallen for this unique style of music that was like nothing she had ever heard before back in Soul Society.

 

It was one of the things that Hiyori liked most about the Living World – that and the food. The innovations and sheer creativity of human beings was so amazing, and even though it had taken her a considerable amount of time to get used to life in exile in the Living World, she had eventually grown to appreciate how different the pace and style of living here were compared to back in Soul Society. Rock music particularly captivated Hiyori, though, one of the things that she had not expected to be so mesmerized with, but she could not imagine her life without it now.

 

The petite blonde had been on hand to witness its birth in the 1950s, had seen it start to make waves in Japan’s relatively conservative (back then) music industry in the sixties, was thrilled when electronic rock began to really take off in the seventies, and then, in the eighties, alternative rock rolled in, and Hiyori really fell in love with all the indie labels and independent underground punk rock scene that seemed to sprout out seemingly overnight. She was a fan of rock music long before it became a fad, and even though all the great musicians and bands came and went like rising and falling tides (the average human lifespan was only so long, and human lives burned so brightly but for a short instant), music was forever, and the recent advancements in technology only made it all too easy to have any song available at one’s fingertips – truly, what a great time it was to be living in the Human World.

 

Still, however convenient it was to be able to play and listen to recorded songs anywhere she wanted, live music would always trump it hands down. The utterly electrifying atmosphere, the screams of the zealous fans, the passionate performance of the band - they all added to the downright magical experience. Hiyori loved it the most; all that amazing perfection found in utter madness and chaos – it spoke to her on a level that she did not quite understand herself, but still managed to soothe the restlessness in her soul. She didn’t very often get the chance to attend live shows or concerts, though; Karakura was a relatively small, quiet suburban town, after all, and most rock acts did not consider it a populated enough venue to come play. That just made today’s rare opportunity so much more special – even though the meet-and-greet session was probably only a pit stop for the band and the setlist not very comprehensive – Hiyori had been getting pumped for it ever since she knew that they were coming.

 

Shinji side eyed the pigtailed blonde beside him as they made their way downtown. It was a nice, sunny afternoon, and for once, Hiyori looked about as happy as he had ever seen her. While not overtly smiling, she still looked rather pleased and content now that they were on their way to see her favorite band. It didn’t take them long to reach the small theatre that was hosting the event, and surprisingly enough, there was already a queue forming at the front door.

 

Obviously, Hiyori was not the only person in Karakura town who liked to hear people with anger issues scream and shout into microphones and then pass off all that god awful noise as music.

 

“Are ya kiddin’ me,” Shinji muttered with disbelief as they got into the increasingly long line.

 

Hiyori rolled her eyes slightly. “Told ya,” she muttered, but there was hardly any heat in her tone. The smaller blonde studied the people ahead of her and promptly decided that she still had a good chance of getting to the front of the stage. They had arrived at a pretty good time, and after a brief wait, the line started to move – the ushers were beginning to admit the attendees. Hiyori rocked on the balls of her feet impatiently as they slowly inched forward, and Shinji was rather amused by her antsy demeanor – she was pretty funny like that.

 

“Ya look like ya can’t wait ‘ta pee,” he told her, and she scowled at him, though not with her usual angry intensity. She was still obviously excited about the performance.

 

“Oh, shut up,” she retorted as they finally reached the entrance of the building. The huge bouncer guarding the door loomed over them intimidatingly, but Hiyori hardly batted at eye as she produced the tickets that would allow them to enter the theatre.

 

However, the large, burly man took one look at Hiyori and immediately shook his head, turning to Shinji instead. “I’m sorry, Sir,” he spoke in a deep, gravelly voice. “But this session is restricted to minors – only eighteen years and above can come through. Due to explicit themes, children are not allowed to participate.”

 

Stumped, the two ex-Shinigami just stared blankly at the human for a brief second.

 

“Children-” Shinji broke off, and then he glanced at the increasingly outraged look on Hiyori’s face and completely lost it. Quickly turning his face away, he had to smother a guffaw behind his hand lest he indirectly incurred the boiling wrath of the furious female beside him.

 

Hiyori was turning quite red in the face with disbelief and anger as she gaped at the bouncer. “ _Oi_!! Listen here, you-”

 

The man did not seem to notice her swelling anger, mostly in due to the fact that she was so tiny compared to his hulking build that she wasn’t even anywhere near his line of sight – she was so short that she might as well have been two dimensional. Still looking dourly at Shinji (who was struggling with all of his might to keep a straight face on), he flatly continued.

 

“There are more age appropriate programs being held in the library across the street-” There, he gestured towards the opposite building in question. It was decorated in all sorts of brightly cheerful, cartoonish prints in commemoration of the recent Karakura town’s Kodomo no Hi celebrations. “Your daughter might find more suitable entertainment there.”

 

That killed Shinji’s amusement immediately. Choking, the golden-haired Vizard gawked in appalled disbelief at the unamused looking, craggy faced human.

 

“I don’t even look old enough ‘ta be this brat’s parent!!” he blurted out incredulously even as he struggled to recover from his shock; his pride and vanity as a handsome and highly sought after bachelor (in his personal opinion) had taken a hard hit right where it hurt the most. “And we aren’t even related!!”

 

The bouncer looked completely unimpressed as he stared at the two now visibly agitated and indignant individuals. He had seen through all sorts of tricks in his long career as a professional bouncer and he wasn’t about to be fazed now, especially not by such an obvious ruse. He had a job to do and he was determined to do it well; it was his responsibility to make sure that kids who were obviously much younger than they claimed to be were barred from venues that they had no business being in.

 

Hiyori was quickly getting pissed. Her height and apparent youthful looks were rather sensitive topics for her and this stupid human had just gone right ahead and tromped all over her deep seated issues, while trying to bar her from the highlight of her entire fucking week, no, _month_ , at the same time. With a dangerously narrowed look, the petite blonde automatically reached up and over her back for Kubikiri Orochi only to remember that she had left her zanpakuto back at the warehouse for the day – carrying a weapon to a performance was an immediate, surefire way to get banned from it, and that was the last thing Hiyori wanted. Besides, she was more than capable of kicking ass even without it, and was ready to go right ahead and prove it.

 

“I ain’t a kid!! You shitty piece of- _mmmpphh_!!”

 

The feisty little blonde was about to administer a rude awakening to this idiotic human who thought her a child when Shinji grabbed her and quickly intervened, effectively gagging her potty mouth with his hand before she could make the situation worse.

 

“I’m afraid that you’re mistaken, mister,” the taller Vizard interjected smoothly over the muffled and increasingly violent protests of his companion. “Both of us are _young_ adults-” Shinji could not help but deliberately emphasize. “-and are therefore well over the minimum age requirement needed ‘ta attend this event.” Pointing down at Hiyori, he continued. “This tiny thing may not look like it, but she’s definitely way over eighteen years of age, trust me. She’s just ridiculously short and baby-faced.”

 

Hiyori twitched at that, but she grudgingly held her tongue for now and waited to see if Shinji could resolve this; the damn baldy was pretty good at talking his way out of trouble if he had to – it was one of the few things that he was rather useful for at times.

 

The bouncer still looked doubtful, unsurprisingly. No matter how he looked at them, the bristling blonde girl standing in front of him was obviously a middle schooler at most, judging by her diminutive size and physical appearance. Shinji seemed to realize the reason for the man’s skepticism, for he swiftly brought his free hand to Hiyori’s head and pulled off her hairbands, freeing her fluffy blonde hair from their pigtailed constraints and allowing the messy, chin length strands to fall around her face instead.

 

“See? She looks a lot less like a kid now,” Shinji pointed out. “Don’t be deceived by her appearance – she only wears up her hair like that so that the old ladies down the street will take pity on her and feed her for free every now and then. Just look at those horrendous eye bags!! And that sallow, haggard face! This is definitely no child!”

 

On the positive side, the burly man seemed to be considering Shinji’s rather convincing spiel.

 

_On the negative side, the burly man seemed to be considering Shinji’s rather convincing spiel._

 

Hiyori wasted no time stomping down hard on the damn baldy’s instep in retaliation, a vein pulsing on her head at his completely unflattering description of her. To his credit, he only flinched very slightly at her violent outburst but did not release his hold on her.  

 

“Look,” Shinji persisted with significantly level calm, despite having to control the little firebrand at the same time. “Check her I.D. if ya don’t believe me.”

 

Hiyori was already bright red with anger when his hand reached into her jacket pocket and started to grope about blindly for the abovementioned item. It didn’t take him long to locate the identity card – specially forged for all of them every couple of decades – and printed there neatly was Hiyori’s most recent ‘birthdate,’ clearly indicating that she was indeed well over the age of majority. In the end, Shinji still had to promise to take responsibility for anything untoward that could happen to his petite companion during the performance before they were quite reluctantly let through. The moment they were out of sight of the entrance, Hiyori wasted no time showing her appreciation by sinking her teeth into the baldy’s hand.

 

Swearing, Shinji quickly let go of her in a great hurry. “What the hell, Hiyori?!” he demanded, shaking his poor injured digits futilely as he tried to ease the sting of her bite. “Is this how ya repay someone who just did ya a favor?!”

 

She scowled belligerently at him. “Ya just stood there and kept insultin’ me, dumbass!! I’m not thankin’ ya for anythin’!! And ya also just felt me up; don’t touch a lady without her permission, shithead!”

 

“What lady?” he muttered under his breath, equally disgruntled. Then, raising his voice a little more, he continued boredly. “And please, there’s nothin’ ‘ta feel up in that monkey body of yours – don’t flatter yourself, brat.”

 

That flat tone of his really made her blood boil, and she looked like she was going to jump on him to give him hell when she noticed that they were selling fan merchandise up ahead. Her mood immediately improved, and she suddenly grabbed him by the arm and towed him towards the stand.

 

“Just for that, you’re buyin’ me somethin’,” she told him, and he looked incredulously at her.

 

“Why do I have ‘ta buy ya anythin’?” he demanded irritably, but he did not pull away from her grasp, knowing that he was going to get it even worse if he resisted her bullish demands. “I’m not even gettin’ paid ‘ta babysit ya, for cryin’ out loud.”

 

She ignored his grumbles.

 

“Oh, you’re gettin’ paid, alright,” she told him. “I haven’t kicked your whiny ass yet today, have I?”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

This latest arc is a pre-series arc, which means that this happened before Shinji and Hiyori got together, and, also, sometime before the start of the original Bleach franchise. I understand that some of you would rather prefer reading ShiYori after they became a couple, but I can’t help but write some pre-series stuff for them as well. This pair has such a long history together that it’d be a shame not to explore all the possibilities, and besides, I do love me some Unresolved Sexual Tension (UST), and I think we can all agree that the majority of UST usually occurs before the establishment of a relationship, yes?

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

This arc is also inspired by a ShiYori fanart made by my friend Mic-RNOL-Mik. We were discussing one day that Hiyori would definitely be a fan of rock music, and poor Shinji’s just going to have to suck it up and take it like a man, haha. Well, somehow our little conversation/fangirling session gave birth to this arc, so there you go.

 

The title for this arc, ‘Can’t Keep My Hands Off You’ was derived from one of Simple Plan’s song bearing the same name. It was the song that inspired Mic-RNOL-Mik’s fanart, so this is a small dedication to you, my friend! =)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Personally, I have never been to a rock concert myself, but even I can guess that there’s usually an extremely long wait for the fans pre-performance (it’s crazy enough with all the K-Pop acts over here, and some fans even go as far as to start queuing for good spots the night _before_ the concert, so I’m assuming that rock acts wouldn’t be all that different). As such, I know that there are probably a lot of inconsistencies in terms of my description of the pre-performance waiting/queuing process in this chapter, but let’s just assume that this is a really small meet-and-greet session, and Karakura town has a pretty small (and polite) fanbase for this particular rock band, alright?

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As for the rock band in question, I’ll leave it to you folks to use your imaginations and fill in whichever rock acts that you’d prefer. I was tempted to put in Dir En Grey (my all-time fave JRock group) for authenticity’s sake at first – since Bleach is a Japanese series after all. Then, I remembered that the inspiration for this arc was (technically) indirectly derived from Simple Plan (a French-Canadian band), and in the end I gave up and intentionally described the band very vaguely so you guys can just put in whichever music group that you’d like.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

According to Wikipedia, Children's Day (こどもの日 Kodomo no Hi) is a Japanese national holiday which takes place annually on May 5th, the fifth day of the fifth month, and is part of the Golden Week. It is a day set aside to respect children's personalities and to celebrate their happiness.

 

So yes, the bouncer was telling Shinji to take his ‘daughter’ to where there will be more child-appropriate activities to entertain her – which just made Hiyori even angrier, haha.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Personally, I don’t think that Shinji looks old enough to be Hiyori’s dad – but you have to admit that his preference for dressing up in suits lends him a slightly more matured air, and I think in Japan, only salary men would walk around all day dressed so formally – so the bouncer naturally assumed that he’s her father – or her guardian, at the very least.

 

Also, Hiyori’s penchant for wearing tracksuits does make her appear very young. The pigtails do not help matters either, so put the two together side by side, and it becomes easy to form a mistaken impression…I think?

 

Anyway, this is obviously just a joke, so don’t take it too seriously!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	15. Can't Keep My Hands Off You, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2631

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 09/08/13

**Completed on:** 10/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 07/09/13

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Can’t Keep My Hands Off You, Part II**

* * *

 

Ten minutes later, Shinji’s wallet was a bit lighter (much to his chagrin) as Hiyori happily pulled on her new band shirt over her white tank top. She had already shed her jacket and tied it around her waist instead, and they made their way into the concert hall with the rest of the other fans. The venue was rather small, and the place quickly filled up with people as they waited for the session to begin. Hiyori was getting quite pumped by then – while not all the way at the front of the stage, they had managed to get a pretty good spot somewhere a bit back. The petite blonde was about as excited as he had ever seen her, and even though Shinji was not exactly thrilled to be here, he couldn’t quite begrudge her such obvious pleasure.

 

There was a slight problem, though.

 

All the other concertgoers were taller and towered over her, and packed densely in the large room like they all were, there was little chance for her to see the stage over the crush of humanity due to her small stature. As always, she wasted no time turning to him to help solve her problem. “I can’t see,” she told him rather expectantly, and he lifted his brow.

 

“Yeah, I know. I’ve been watchin’ ya jump up and down like a monkey for the past few minutes,” he drawled innocuously, and she glowered at him for being deliberately obtuse.

 

“Lemme up your shoulders,” she demanded quickly then, not beating around the bush as usual.

 

“No,” he replied just as promptly, and was immediately treated to her deepening scowl of displeasure. She gave him a narrow, gimlet stare.

 

“Hage Shinji…” she bristled and growled warningly at him, but he remained unimpressed. She was way too old to still be getting away with being such a complete and utter brat, in his opinion.

 

“S’that the proper way ya should ask people for favors?” he enquired with deliberate calm. “‘Cause it really sucks.”

 

She gritted her teeth and her glower deepened. Shinji was not intimidated though; he had the advantage here, after all. They had a brief standoff, and then, unsurprisingly, Hiyori reluctantly backed down after a while. She also turned her eyes away and quit challenging him, understanding that she would not be getting anywhere with him like this.

 

“…I can’t see the stage,” she mumbled grudgingly at last, swallowing her pride and begrudgingly gentling her tone. Her face was flushed with awkwardness and obvious discomfiture and she was clearly avoiding his eyes by then. “…Please… _help_ …me.”

 

She was clearly forcing herself to spit out the words towards the end, and speaking so lowly that she was nearly inaudible. Her mortification was palpable, her stance rigid – as always, he found this side of her pretty damn endearing, and so he relented and did not make her repeat her request again.

                       

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” he asked, slightly teasing, and she barely refrained from replying, though her eyelid ticked violently in response. “You’re gonna owe me for this, but since ya asked so nicely-” At that, Hiyori twitched again. “Alright.”

 

He didn’t even have to stoop down or provide any footholds to boost her up. She was small, nimble and agile – exactly like a little monkey, he thought with amusement – and she made her way up his lean, rangy frame just fine on her own. There was no embarrassment or hesitation on her part as she clambered all over him – they had known each other for so long that such feelings were completely redundant by now, and besides, she had never been the type to feel shy about such matters, exasperating little tomboy that she was.

 

“…Thanks,” she muttered under her breath when she was finally seated on his shoulders. Her momentarily muted demeanor very quickly turned to exuberance and glee once more when she realized that she now had the best view in the house. Resting a hand on his head for extra support, she leaned forward and excitedly peered at the stage, and he had to grab her calves to steady her and keep her from tipping right off of her perch in her enthusiasm.

                   

“Oi, be careful up there,” he chided in chagrin, already starting to regret his decision to carry her. She barely weighed a thing, but was being so utterly boisterous that it was going to be a challenge to contain her rambunctiousness. “I swear; you’re about as gentle as a gorilla.”

 

She completely ignored him, of course, and then her sharp, feline eyes alit on an empty spot just a bit in front of them.

 

“Move forward, hage Shinji!” she demanded then, tugging at his hair to get his attention and pointing ahead with her finger.

 

He twitched at being treated like a pack mule. “…that’s no way ‘ta treat someone who can throw ya…” he grumbled, but obligingly moved to fill the place in the front all the same. Hiyori did not respond to him – the blinding stage lights abruptly came on and a deafening drumroll announced the arrival of the band to the loud screams of the adoring fans, who suddenly seemed to come alive in an overpowering wave as they all surged forward in an effort to be nearer to their idols.

 

Shinji winced; his sensitive ears were ringing from the resounding roar of his fellow audience members, and even Hiyori was adding to the din, pumping her fist and yelling her approval. The five band members that appeared on stage spent a brief few minutes greeting and interacting with their enthusiastic fans, and then they took their places, picked up their instruments, and very quickly started on a rousing, upbeat number to head off their first set. It didn’t take long for their high energy performance to infect the crowd, and very soon, everyone was jamming to the loud, thumping beats and the powerful vocals of the lead singer, their hands high in the air as they banged their heads to the catchy song.

 

Hiyori was in heaven.

 

She was absolutely loving every moment. The utterly chaotic scene, the wildly flashing spotlights, the frantic atmosphere and the manic joy of the fans; they all added to the quality of the live music that was being played right there and then. It was all intoxicating to her, and the petite blonde waved her arms in the air and rocked out furiously to the band.

 

Shinji was very sure that he had landed in some part of hell, or at least it certainly felt that way at the beginning.

 

The music was utterly deafening and it threatened to burst his eardrums. It was completely disorienting and his head was pounding from all the jarring sounds and sights that were inundating it. The strobing spotlights that could easily induce fits of epilepsy did not help matters any, and the high pitched shrieks of the electronic instruments were hardly comprehensible to him. The raw, fierce beat of the drums felt more like a hostile declaration of war than music, and all around him, people were screaming, jumping, jostling and yelling en masse like they were all possessed by a herd of evil spirits – the whole thing was certainly disconcerting, to say the least, and he had to restrain the instinctive urge to reach for Sakanade (which he hadn’t brought along, so it was moot) and start exorcising the entire lot of them.

 

This was the first time he had been dragged along to such an event, and to say that it was an eye opening (and jaw dropping) experience would be an understatement. Even though this was just an unofficial performance/meet-and-greet, the intensity of the charged crowd was nearly overwhelming, and Shinji didn’t think that he was anywhere near ready to experience what a full scale concert would be like. In the past, one of the other Vizards would usually accompany Hiyori to her rock gigs; he was the only one left who hadn’t been exposed to the experience yet – at least not until today. Shinji wondered how Rose (who possessed even more sensitive hearing than he did) had managed to sit through one of these concerts and emerge unscathed when he already felt like he was going to start bleeding from his ears very soon.

 

But Hiyori was clearly having the time of her life, her eyes bright as she strained forward over him to see the band better, her head bopping madly to the beat, her lips moving as she mouthed the lyrics to the song that she had memorized by heart. Shinji was obviously not a fan of this music genre, but after the second set, the initial shock was slowly wearing off and even he was beginning to at least grudgingly understand the appeal of the heart pounding, rousing tunes. The band members were also particularly charismatic and were able to churn their fans into an excited frenzy, and overall, the general atmosphere was simply electric.

 

Besides, it was rather difficult to remain irritated and be a wet blanket when the brat was being so utterly and infectiously _enthusiastic and happy_.

 

Approximately one and a half hours later, the musical showcase was drawing to an end, and the band was playing their last set. By then, Hiyori was standing beside him once again, having scrambled back down from his shoulders after less than half an hour due to an amusing inability to keep still. She was just listening to the music and lost in her own world, looking slightly flushed and mussed from her energetic exertions earlier, her eyes closed and a very small yet irrepressible smile sitting on her face as she just soaked in the sounds and the ambiance. Shinji, while not particularly crazy about the entire performance, was still enjoying it somewhat – the experience was new to him, the music style was certainly unique and some of the lyrics surprisingly profound, not to mention, the mood was pretty good, and it was impossible not to be affected by it.

 

The band’s last song was a rock ballad, clearly an extremely popular piece judging by the rousing screams of approval from the crowd when they quickly recognized the beginning strains of the tune, the mournful screech of the electric guitar and the accompanying thrum of the bass, both preceded by the melodious solo of the electronic keyboard. The earlier, riotous demeanor of the audience quickly quieted down and became hushed with anticipation as the lead vocalist finally opened the song with his stunningly soulful voice.

 

_A wolf fang moon, my lover is grieving_

_I raise my cup and drink in the frost_

_Who has upset the box of yesteryears_

_Awaking the dust of forgotten past?_

_Destiny has been written for every reincarnation_

_With a frown etched on your brow, you wail as Time cannot be rewound_

_Even if the annals of history has already become ashes_

_My love will never end_

Shinji was frankly surprised by the range of the singer’s impressive vocals, especially since the latter had been screaming his throat out for the better part of the last hour. The song was a slow, poignant number unlike any of the previous tracks they had played, though, and the golden-haired Vizard felt his focus quickly turning to the stage.

 

The acoustics were simply amazing, the voice and the musical instruments coming together in a perfect, harmonious blend that was aural pleasure to the ears and the soul. The lyrics were astonishingly profound, and that gripped Shinji’s attention the most – he had not known that this genre of rock music existed. This was poetry in song, and it was unexpectedly beautiful.

 

_Grandeur is three thousand miles of waters flowing east_

_Yet I need only a single ladleful to know love_

_Only yearning for the butterfly reincarnation of your soul_

_Your hair is like snow, bitter serenity in our parting_

_Who is moved by the fragrance of my burning incense?_

_Inviting the full moon to highlight our memories_

_Our love becomes immaculate beneath the moonlight_

Shinji glanced briefly at Hiyori, and then, his gaze caught in surprise. The petite blonde still had her eyes closed, startlingly long blonde lashes fanning her freckled cheeks, but now there was a rare look of tranquility on her face as she let the slow, aching music wash over her senses, soothing her like a touching lullaby. Her slight form swayed faintly in contentment as she luxuriated in the vocalist’s clear, powerful voice and poignant singing. The instrumental interludes further added emotional impact to the song, and by now, the crowd was completely enthralled.

 

And, as Shinji stared at the peaceful, breathtakingly tender features of his companion, so was he.

_Your hair is like snow, your tears are flying_

_Who had waned while I waited?_

_In this era of mortal intoxication_

_I'll use my devotion to carve a tablet of eternal love for you_

_la er la ~_

_The bronzed mirror reflects a picture of innocence and pigtails_

_Since you (coyly) requested_

_I'll keep you company and drink with you in this life_

The last notes of the singer’s pristine, haunting voice lingered in the air for the longest time, and when that finally faded away, there was only enthralled silence as the audience took in the entirety of the moving ballad. Then, the clapping started, swelling in volume until the rafters all but shook from the sound of the fans’ overwhelming appreciation and delight.

 

Hiyori’s eyelids slowly opened, the ochre depths hidden within momentarily soft and unguarded; she had been clearly lulled to a dreamy and relaxed state by the song. For an instant, the gentle expression portrayed on her small and surprisingly delicate features was both startling and exquisite at the same time, but as quickly as it appeared, it was gone in the blink of an eye, the softness immediately concealed by her usual reticence and cagey demeanor. It didn’t take Hiyori long to notice her fellow Vizard staring at her with the strangest look on his face, and she started to frown slightly, her prickly walls coming back up as she eyed him suspiciously.

 

“What?” she asked defensively over the din of the people around them, and he at last looked away.

 

“Nothin’,” he muttered a bit too casually to be considered normal, and Hiyori would have tried to pry further if not for the distraction of the band onstage, wrapping up the gig and expressing their gratitude and farewells to the screaming audience. Golden eyes subtly watched over her as she eagerly took in the sights and the sounds, and like always, Shinji discreetly edged closer to shield her smaller form from the worst of the jostling and shoving from the overly enthusiastic crowd.

 

It was only much later, when the performance had ended and they had finally left the theatre and were on their way back that Hiyori suddenly quipped, “Hah!! Ya can’t say that I never bring ya anywhere good anymore!” she pointed out with smug glee, looking all too pleased with herself. The outing was a smashing success as far as she was concerned. She was obviously in high spirits and it clearly showed on her glowing, animated appearance, her spirited liveliness further highlighting her impish, irrepressible appeal. “Admit it, hage Shinji! I showed ya somethin’ real good today, didn’t I?”

 

Shinji briefly scrutinized that small, cute face; those bright, catlike eyes and that toothy, mischievous fanged grin. She was utterly, maddeningly, charming like this, and as always, she remained completely oblivious to the effect she had on him.

 

“Yeah,” he replied at last, his tone perfectly nonchalant even as he stuck his hands in his pockets to quell the urge to reach out and touch her beaming features.

 

 

“Yeah, you did.”

 

* * *

** Omake **

 

**_Present Day:_ **

 

Shinji looked completely put out as he found himself standing in line again outside the familiar theatre in Karakura town with Hiyori in tow, facing the same unamused looking bouncer who looked just about as happy to see them as they did him. The Gobantai Taichou quickly put out a hand to stop the burly man before the latter could even say anything.

 

“Before you even start, this woman is not a child, and no, I’m _not_ her father,” Shinji was quick to point out.

 

He had even deliberately dressed down (in his opinion) for the occasion, appearing in jeans and sneakers, forgoing a tie and leaving the top few buttons of his dress shirt undone, though he threw on a form fitting waistcoat over it and rolled up his long sleeves to his elbows so that he still managed to look cool and casual smart at the same time. Hiyori had gotten pretty annoyed with him since it had taken him forever to make up his mind on what to wear and finally be ready to leave the warehouse, but he was determined not to be mistaken as the parent of his ridiculously youthful looking lover ever again. Once was enough, thank you very much, and the shock had been so great that he had suffered from an existential crisis for weeks after that – _he did not look old, damn it_.

 

Unfortunately, the human who had emotionally scarred him so badly the last time around could hardly care less, judging by the blank, unimpressed look on his face.

 

“ID,” he gruffly demanded of Hiyori, and the petite blonde grudgingly handed over her identification card for inspection. Evidently, she easily passed it this time around, and after returning the card to her, the bouncer waved them through the doors without another word, much to Shinji’s shock.

 

“Wait a minute,” the Shinigami/Vizard demanded. “You’re not gonna keep insistin’ that she’s a child this time? Nothin’ ‘ta say about her height? Her looks? What ‘bout me?”

 

The human just stared at this strange blonde man who for some reason kept getting right in his face and also seemed to be trying to instigate a fight, of all things.

 

“Right now, I’m only seeing one childlike person here,” he uttered flatly at last, and Shinji just gawked at him in shock.

 

“ _Huh_?!!”

 

Hiyori kicked her other half hard in the shin before he could make an even bigger idiot out of himself.

 

“Goddammit baldy, quit embarrassin’ me,” she muttered, and then she grabbed him and dragged him into the building before he could do or say anything else.

 

“That wasn’t what he said the last time,” Shinji was still protesting, looking visibly indignant. He had been prepared to make the man eat his words from back then, too. Apparently, he had a very good memory when it came to people who insulted his vanity, and Hiyori rolled her eyes. The dumbass could certainly hold grudges for the stupidest of reasons. 

 

“That’s because ya already cleared things up with him right from the start, didn’t ya?”

 

Shinji quickly paused at that. He had, actually – it was the first thing that he had said to the man, in fact.

 

“Sheesh, what a moron,” Hiyori muttered outright, much to her lover’s chagrin.

 

“Yeah, well, I may be a moron,” he replied defensively. “But I’m _your_ moron.”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” she told him boredly, and then her eyes alit on the booth selling fan merchandise. “Buy me a shirt, baldy.”

 

“ _Again_?” he sounded disgruntled. “Why do I have ‘ta keep buyin’ ya shirts? At least get somethin’ cute or sexy. What kinda date is this?”

 

She was completely blunt and to the point as always.

 

“The kind where I’ll make ya very happy later if ya make me very happy now,” she retorted matter-of-factly.

 

He looked exasperated by her shamelessly forthright answer, but there was no denying that a happy Hiyori was a very demonstrative, affectionate Hiyori. And Shinji liked the very demonstrative, affectionate version of Hiyori.

 

“Gee, if you put it like that, I can’t really refuse at all, can I…”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Nothing much to comment for this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoyed it all the same!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

The lyrics used here is from a mandarin love ballad, 髮如雪, by Jay Chou. It’s obviously translated, but I chose it purely for its lovely lyrics. Not sure if I have done the song any justice with the translations arrangement, but, ah well, it sounded really meaningful in mandarin, and I thought it was kind of fitting.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

New arc next chapter!! Back to present time!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	16. How to Get Yourself a Date, Shinji Edition – Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2063

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 12/08/13

**Completed on:** 13/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 12/09/13

 

* * *

**How to Get Yourself a Date, Shinji Edition – Part I**

* * *

 

They were down in the training area of the Vizard Warehouse, together with Hachi, Love and Lisa. The latter trio were staying put on the sidelines though, interested enough to pull away from their usual activities to come and observe the match.

 

Shinji and Hiyori stood at opposite ends of the expansive grounds, their stances loose but their postures alert, both facing each other. The Fifth Division Captain was in his full Shinigami uniform, his sword sheathed by his side, his hands relaxed and hidden by the long sleeves of his white haori. On the opposing side, his lover was dressed in her usual red tracksuit, the pants rolled up to her calves, her jacket unzipped and showing the white tank top that she wore underneath it, her own zanpakuto encased safely in its scabbard and slung unobtrusively over her back. She was all but vibrating with pent up excitement, and unlike his calm demeanor, was smirking with anticipation, her catlike eyes glowing eagerly at the prospect of the impending battle, the bloodthirsty little thing.

 

“I’m callin’ the rules first,” he told her, and she grunted impatiently for him to get on with it already.

 

“No cero ‘ta be used indoors. We still want the warehouse in one piece after this. Everything else goes. Ya win if ya can force me ‘ta pull on my mask. I win if I can outlast your attempt ‘ta do so. Simple, right?”

 

Hiyori’s eyes narrowed slightly. There was nothing remotely simple about fighting Shinji. In spite of his deceptively lighthearted and frivolous nature, the man was a brutally efficient killing machine out in the field – he had always been that way even back when they were all still seated officers in the Gotei 13, and his fearsome, well-honed fighting abilities had only gotten even more deadly and powerful over the century. Even though Shinji regularly let her smack him around, it was the truth that Hiyori had never won in a spar against her lover before, not even once, but that fact was not going to deter her from trying all the same.

 

“Friendly reminder that the loser will have ‘ta do anything the winner wants for a day, no complainin’.”

 

That had always been the tradition between them; in the past, it had been an incentive to get him off of his ass to fight her seriously, since according to him, she had sucked so badly at controlling her Inner Hollow during mock battles that sparring with her was about as exciting as stealing candy from a baby. He usually made her his gopher for the day though, back when they hadn’t gotten together yet, and made her do things like run stupid errands or clean his room, so she wasn’t particularly alarmed by his bringing up their usual agreement now. Still, if he thought that this was going to be another easy victory, he definitely had another think coming; she hadn’t been training hard for the past year for nothing, and had every intention of making him earn every minute of her time as his free servant.

 

“Well, then, are ya ready ‘ta go, brat?” he asked, signaling the start of the fight, and she promptly responded by flashing off in a swift burst of shunpo. He was somehow unsurprised when she crossed the distance between them in what seemed like the blink of an eye to launch a flying kick right at his head. He moved at the very last moment to avoid her attack, but she had already anticipated his reaction and adjusted her trajectory accordingly in midair, revealing an astonishing amount of aerial agility as she did so.

 

He immediately defended, knocking away her leg with the edge of his forearm only for her other knee to swing around almost instantaneously in an attempt catch the side of his temple in what would have been an concussion worthy collision. Shinji quickly fell backwards, pushing away to create distance between himself and his viciously offensive opponent so that she could not press her advantage any further – knowing her like he did, engaging her in unarmed combat at this point of the fight would be a really bad idea.

 

Hiyori had always been terrifyingly adept at hakuda; in a serious battle, there was no hesitation or doubt whatsoever in her movements as she threw everything she had at her target, hammering relentlessly at her foe’s defenses like a battering ram until they caved to the sheer pressure of her forceful attacks. Her style was extremely erratic, opportunistic and crude; there was no fixed martial arts discipline that she adhered to and that made her attacks extremely unpredictable, especially since she fought like a dirty gutter rat and would seize every advantage available to exploit, all and any cheap shots included. Her small size also granted her impressive maneuverability and speed – she was a tiny whirlwind of flying fists and kicks – and together with her gritty, highly aggressive combat style, it gave her an undeniable edge over opponents who had never fought against her before.   

 

But Shinji was definitely no stranger to Hiyori’s simple but brutal strategies, as had crossed swords and sparred with her on numerous occasions over the last century alone, and was probably the most familiar with her various attacks and approaches out of anyone else. As such, he hardly batted an eye in response to her ferocious, right-in-your-face tactics that were specifically meant to rattle his composure and unnerve her opponents, and merely positioned himself subtly and pulled back even further to lure her right into an arrangement more advantageous to himself. Sure enough she followed after his retreating form unhesitatingly, landing on her feet briefly and then charging low right at him in a blur of fiery crimson.

 

He intercepted this time, moving in with a deceptively lazy, fluid ease and deliberately disrupting her momentum, catching her before she could deliver a vicious jab. There was considerable force behind each of her attacks, and simply weathering the hits was not an option with her enhanced strength and abilities, especially when her speed would not allow for any recovery time on his side and she would gleefully press her advantage and keep attacking until she had completely disabled him. Hiyori had no mercy for her opponents on the battlefield and was definitely the type who would continue to ‘kick a man even when he’s down,’ so to speak. Shinji quickly grabbed her wrist in a firm, unyielding hold and used the remaining inertia of her fierce rush towards him to throw her forcefully away from him, and she swore loudly as she soared a distance away, though she recovered quickly enough, deftly flipping in midair before landing in a skidding crouch right in front of a small cliff face.

 

He was already making his move. Lifting his hand, a glowing bar of energy materialized as if summoned by his thoughts, and her eyes widened in recognition. Shit! He had her cornered!

 

“Bakudo Number Sixty Two: Hyapporankan!” He hurled the bluish white rod straight at her. Instantaneously, a hundred more just like it appeared and rained down on her in a dangerous hail of offensive spiritual energy, and her body tensed as she tracked and calculated the trajectories of the rods all aiming right at her. She quickly flickered out of sight, literally vanishing in an impressive burst of shunpo as she dodged every single one with breathtaking agility, literally running up the vertical cliff face to crouch defensively on its edge.

 

“Heh. You’ve gotten even faster,” he commented approvingly with a small, amused grin as he looked up at her, and she hissed at him from her perch, watching him carefully and not taking her eyes off of him for even a single moment. His first attack had been a goddamn Kido spell with strength in the high sixties – as always, he was taking their fight seriously and she could not afford to fool around.

 

He seemed content to wait her out though – he was at an advantage in this aspect since she was the one who had to engage him in order for a chance to win this match, and sure enough, after a quick pause (she had never been a particularly patient individual), she was on the move once more, pushing off rashly from the cliff and taking to the air, leaping towards him in a single minded attempt to take him out.

 

He was quite surprised (and rather disappointed) that she was going for such a straightforward attack despite still being so far away. She was a sitting duck when airborne, and she really should know better than to let her emotions cloud her head so much, especially during a fight. The last time she lost her head in one, it had nearly cost her life, and he was not pleased that she seemed to have had completely forgotten that brutal lesson already. Shinji immediately moved to shut her down, calling forth another high level Kido spell to immobilize her, and like before, completely forgoing the incantation as he did so.

 

“Bakudo Number Sixty One: Rikujokoro.”

 

This time, the glowing burst of light that shot out from his index finger immediately split into six wide yellow beams and shot straight towards Hiyori, each stabbing right into her middle and holding her in place before she could complete her attack. She froze immediately in midair, a look of frustration stuck on her face, and once he ascertained that the spell had completely taken hold of her, he made his way towards her slowly.

 

“Well, that was kinda anticlimactic,” he deadpanned flatly, and even though she could not move, her glare seemed to intensify as their eyes met. “I told ya before not ‘ta attack blindly, didn’t I? You wanna admit defeat and call the match now-”  

 

Before he could finish his sentence, she summoned her mask by sheer power of will. It was only a partial masking, her sclera bleeding black and the beginnings of the bone mask forming on the side of her head but leaving her face uncovered, and he tensed in surprise when it was enough to allow her to forcefully expel the restraining sheets of energy from her body and completely shatter the bonds of the powerful Kido spell, freeing her once again to fight. Her spiritual pressure shot sky high, and she wasted no time jumping back into action, chambering a powerful roundhouse kick and launching it right into the side of his face, unceremoniously punting him across half the length of the humongous training field with the force of her Hollow-enhanced strength.

 

Love pumped his fist from the sidelines. “Hooo! The lil’ shit finally did it!” Granted, Shinji’s Rikujokoro had not been at full strength since he had skipped the incantation, but it was still a breakthrough as far as Hiyori’s personal growth was concerned – Kido spells ranked level sixty and above were near impossible to break by sheer physical force as a general rule of thumb.

 

Hachi smiled ruefully. “Looks like I’m going to have to upgrade the barriers again,” he noted musingly to himself.

 

Hiyori’s bloodlust went straight up, and Kubikiri Orochi was released from its sheath and clasped in her hand in the blink of an eye even as she shot after her momentarily downed lover, but he proved to be very resilient, recovering swiftly before she could further press him with her assault, launching to the skies in a swift flash of white to put space between them and take quick stock of the situation. He had genuinely been taken aback by Hiyori’s improved abilities – her intensive training the last year had obviously bore fruit and she was a lot better than he had expected – his already throbbing jaw was certainly going to be paying for his mistaken oversight tomorrow, and it was a good thing that he had instinctively shielded himself with his reiatsu, or she probably would have taken his head clean off with that single ruthless attack.

 

The Gobantai Taichou pulled out Sakanade just in time to block Hiyori’s quick, vicious strike from above. Their swords clashed with a fierce, jarring ring as his katana stopped hers in its track, holding perfectly steady despite the sheer force that she had put into her trademark Suikawari, and her eyes narrowed dangerously. She snarled.

 

“ _Buttegire_ , Kubikiri Orochi!”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So, this new arc will be the largest one so far, and will span 5 chapters in total (current one included). It’s a ‘date’-themed mini-series, and anyway, I’m hoping that some of you will enjoy this.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

I also hope that I managed to make the fight scene realistic. Hiyori’s such a kickass little hellion, and I really enjoyed writing out her fighting style.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Even though not much is known about Shinji’s abilities right now, I feel that he would be at least proficient in Kido spells, since it seems to me like it might be a required specialty of the Fifth Division, and the Lieutenant and previous Captain are all at least experts in it. Not to mention, Kido spells seem to go very well with illusion-based zanpakuto in terms of tactics and fighting strategy.

 

By the way, the two spells that Shinji used in this chapter are also from canon-verse.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

According to Bleach Wiki, Suikawari (西瓜割; Japanese for "Watermelon Splitting") is one of Hiyori’s trademark attacks. It basically entails her coming down with her sword upon an opponent. She used this technique to cleanly cut down through the head and mask of a Gillian with ease in the series.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

For those who are curious, this arc follows directly after ‘The First Step Is Always the Hardest’ (chapters 12 and 13) in terms of timeline and chronology.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	17. How to Get Yourself a Date, Shinji Edition – Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

 **Author:** paws_bells

 **Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

 **Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

 **Word Count:** 2799

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 **Created on:** 13/08/13

 **Completed on:** 14/08/13

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 15/09/13

 

* * *

**How to Get Yourself a Date, Shinji Edition – Part II**

* * *

 

“ _Buttegire_ , Kubikiri Orochi!” Hiyori snarled in the dual tones of herself and her Inner Hollow, and immediately, her zanpakuto took on its shikai form, the blade elongating, becoming bigger and heavier, its cutting edge turning roughly serrated and jagged like the hungry teeth of a chainsaw. Shinji grimaced inwardly; he really detested the special ability of her shikai.

 

While not particularly extraordinary or impressive, the hidden ability of her zanpakuto’s initial release form was incredibly abrasive and completely impossible to ignore – a clear reflection of its owner’s personality. It also had an immediate effect on the surrounding area; that oversized cleaver of hers actually emitted insistent, extremely low frequency infrasound vibrations that were downright uncomfortable to the senses of anyone within striking distance. As Hiyori’s emotions flared, her shikai actively fed off of her agitation and the vibrations intensified, until he could feel it jarring the joints of his sword arm, and even Sakanade was starting to shake in protest. With enough training, he did not doubt that her shikai ability could one day easily shatter the zanpakuto of lesser Shinigami on impact alone, but that was something that he’d leave her to discover on her own.

 

Hiyori shoved hard against their deadlock and abruptly twisted the hilt of her own weapon, attempting to catch Sakanade in one of Kubikiri Orochi’s oversized teeth and wrest the unreleased katana out of its owner’s hand. Shinji was forced to disengage immediately or risk losing his sword, and she had obviously anticipated his move, for she was already throwing herself backwards in a backflip, using the heavy weight of her zanpakuto to increase her momentum as she twisted in mid rotation and slammed her heel into his unprotected side in an absurdly graceful (and painfully effective) butterfly kick.

 

For the second time in under a minute, he sailed over the training ground, the air knocked right out of his lungs, and this time, she caught up to him before he could even right himself. Her glowing eyes with the black sclera were utterly merciless as she raised her cleaver to cut him down in one single stroke, but before she could finish her attack, he disappeared right before her sight and phased behind her instead, the tables quickly turned, the hunter now the hunted.

 

Her lover was strong and extremely fast even without the need to release his sword or mask, and he quickly proved his superiority by swiftly disabling her from the back; a large, long fingered hand snapping out to grab her wrist, jerking her sword arm back and twisting it in an unnatural angle, not yet hard enough to break bone, but still excruciatingly uncomfortable, forcing her to let go of her sword in automatic reflex. The move was purely calculated, instantly executed at the precise moment – that short millisecond – where she had let her guard down, and Kubikiri Orochi quickly fell to the ground below them, immediately returning to its sealed katana form. Shinji pulled her slight, struggling figure back against his chest, his hold on her firm and absolute.

 

“What a bloodthirsty ‘lil thing you are,” he muttered in her ear, and both her and her Inner Hollow were immediately outraged at being outmaneuvered so quickly and effortlessly. Had he even been fighting her seriously the whole time? Her spiritual pressure soared in response together with her rising ire, and growling, she tried to break free from his hold with sheer brute force, and she would have succeeded too, if he hadn’t released his own reiatsu to cover hers, simply matching her every step of the way, and then slowly but surely overpowering her with the intensity of his own energy.

 

Hiyori was not going down that easily, though. Materializing her Hollow mask to cover her face completely, her spiritual energy increased further, immediately skyrocketing to a level that even Shinji was starting to have trouble containing. She was definitely stronger compared to the last time they had faced off over a year before, and she was also actually using her head to strategize and fight more effectively too – Shinji briefly wondered what kind of training Kisuke and Yoruichi had been putting her through. If she continued to expel reiatsu like that, she was going to break free very soon, and he would eventually have no choice but to step up the intensity of his sparring with her by yet another level, and he might even have to summon his mask to subdue her – though that would make her win by default.

 

It was a good thing that he knew just as well as she did that she was unable to keep up her current supercharged Hollowfied status indefinitely. Three minutes was the most she could manage, and they were already more than two minutes in since she had first drawn on the powers of her Inner Hollow. All he had to do was hang on until she exhausted herself, and the match would be called in his favor.

 

Hiyori was getting desperate, and it showed. She had thrown everything she had at Shinji and he had taken it all and was still hardly fazed by her attacks. As a fighter, it stung her pride that she was still so far behind him in terms of their abilities even though she had always known he was so much more powerful than she was. He was a Captain-class Shinigami, after all, and he had more to protect and therefore more to lose, so of course he was going to have to be completely formidable, and it wasn’t as if he never struggled to earn his strength – she knew how hard he worked, every bit paid for with blood and sweat.

 

Unlike her, it was also not his style to overwhelm his opponents by blatantly shoving his strength right in their face – he was cool, calm, calculative, only exacting the necessary amount of effort to quell his adversaries, not revealing more than he absolutely had to, and it seemed that she still had quite a long way to go if she wanted to fight him on equal footing. The urge to throw a temper tantrum was overwhelming; this fight was already as good as his, and he knew her too well to be fooled by any of her fake outs or the tricks she could possibly pull. Hiyori struggled unhappily and tried to at least be free of his hold before she lost all of her strength, but he was simply unmovable, and unless she tore off her own arms in the struggle, escape was impossible.

 

Shinji simply brought her back down to the ground with him, landing effortlessly on the sidelines where the other three Vizards were.

 

“Congratulations, Hiyori,” Lisa uttered boredly then. “You managed to last a whole five minutes against Shinji. That’s two whole minutes longer than your previous record.”

 

“Shut up, Lisa!” the petite blonde snapped in a deep, growly undertone, her sclera around her glowing ochre irises still black from behind her skeletal-looking Hollow mask. “The fight ain’t even over yet!!”

 

Standing beside Lisa, Love just eyed the caught and subdued young woman blankly. “I don’t know about that. You look kind of stuck to me, Hiyori.”

 

The frustrated blonde growled.

 

“Ya still not ready ‘ta admit defeat yet, brat?” Shinji asked from somewhere above her, sounding utterly casual despite the fact that he was holding a very angry Shinigami/Hollow hybrid right at the moment. Hiyori hissed like a scalded cat and struggled harder, but to no avail. Much to her dismay, she finally hit the time limit then, and her mask started to disintegrate, leaving her feeling completely drained as her reiatsu immediately dropped back to normal levels.

 

“Damn ya, baldy!” she burst out unhappily, panting slightly from her exertions. “Fight me again!! Did ya even take me seriously at all?!!”

 

“I assure ya that I take all my battles very seriously,” her lover told her calmly even as he finally let her go. “I just don’t see the need ‘ta use all of my strength ‘ta hunt a rabbit. Or in this case, a ‘lil monkey.”

 

He wasn’t even speaking out of arrogance or vanity, just stating pure fact. Hiyori looked dangerously close to showing him just how much of an animal she could be, but then, he just reached over and ruffled her hair like she was a little kid, much to her increasing indignation and outrage.

 

“But ya did real good, brat,” he told her, affectionate once again now that the match was over. “I didn’t expect that you’d improve so much in such a short time.”

 

It was true. He was probably going to have to cast some advanced healing spells on his jaw and side where she had kicked him earlier or he was going to acutely feel the aches tomorrow. If he hadn’t had the foresight to protect himself with his reiatsu, she would have completely shattered his bones on both counts; truly, she was such a terrifying opponent when it came to hand-to-hand combat. She had definitely gotten a lot faster too, but he supposed he shouldn’t be all that surprised since one of her regular sparring partners happened to be the Goddess of Flash herself.

 

Hiyori smacked his hand away, already rather red in the face from anger. “Don’t patronize me!” she barked fiercely, scowling at him at the same time.

 

“I’m not,” he merely informed her. “I’m just speakin’ the truth. Anyway, I still won, so that means ya owe me an entire day of your time.”

 

Hiyori visibly bristled at his reminder, but she did not refute his claim. She was not someone who went back on her word, and besides, she knew their usual arrangement well.

 

“I just have ‘ta be your free servant again, right?” she muttered, grudgingly accepting Kubikiri Orochi from Hachi, who had kindly gone and retrieved it for her. Much to her surprise, the damn baldy shook his head.

 

“Nope. You’re the girlfriend now, so ya get special treatment,” he told her in a slightly amused tone. Hiyori looked at him suspiciously.

 

“What special treatment?” she demanded immediately.

 

“We’re goin’ on a date.”

 

For a moment, Hiyori thought that she had heard wrongly. “ _Whaa_?!” 

 

“A date,” he repeated nonchalantly enough. “A proper, romantic one this time, so look forward ‘ta it.”

 

She looked like a deer caught in the headlights at his announcement. Then, the horror of the situation quickly set in.

 

“Can I just be your one day servant instead?” she blurted out then, though he was hardly tickled by her response.

 

“Ya know, that’s kinda insultin’,” he drawled. “Especially since I haven’t even started romancing ya properly yet.”

 

“I don’t need any romancing,” Hiyori was quick to deny his offer. There was a pause, and then she continued. “I wanna rematch. I’ll fight really hard this time, I promise.”

 

“Ouch,” Love muttered from the sideline. “That’s gotta hurt.”

 

Lisa just shrugged. “Shinji enjoys pain and humiliation, remember.”

 

The Fifth Division Captain just ignored the unnecessary comments from the peanut gallery and continued to focus his attention on his disgruntled significant other. “Nice try, brat, but you’re not gettin’ outta this. We had an agreement; loser does what the winner wants, so no weaselin’ outta it.”

 

“What about best two outta three?” she insisted stubbornly, looking increasingly desperate as she did so. “I’ll fight like my life is dependin’ on it.”

 

“You’re gonna be wined and dined even if you scream and kick ‘bout it throughout the whole thing,” her lover told her firmly, cutting off the rest of her arguments. “Which will be happenin’ tomorrow, in fact. I’ll come get ya in the evening. Lisa, will ya help me get her ready?”

 

The ebony-haired woman eyed the bristling, defensive form of her fellow Vizard. She shrugged once again in agreement. “Sure, why not. It’ll be an interesting project. I’ll doll her up really nicely for you.”

 

“Actually, I’ll just be content if ya can make sure that she won’t run off before I come for her,” Shinji muttered wryly. “But that will work too.”

 

“I don’t wanna go on a date!” Hiyori burst out then, still bewildered by how quickly the whole thing had sprung up on her completely unannounced – this was obviously a trap that he had been planning from the very beginning, and she was not thrilled to have so stupidly fallen right into it.

 

“Sorry, brat, I’m not givin’ ya a choice here.” He did not sound or look very apologetic though, judging by his toothy grin, and it made her want to punch it right off that smug face of his. Her fists actually started to clench in reflex, and he seemed to sense her impending tantrum, for he wisely changed the subject. “Well, now that’s settled, I need ‘ta be headin’ back to Seireitei; ya know, stuff ‘ta do, people ‘ta see. Be good, Hiyori.”

 

“Go ‘ta hell, hage Shinji! Nothing’s settled yet!!” the petite female protested quite heatedly, but her lover just reached out and patted her head teasingly once more, though of course that only made her even angrier. Chuckling, he pulled out of reach of her striking range, and after bidding his goodbyes to the other Vizards, the blonde took his leave, somehow still appearing remarkably pristine and put together despite the quick spar. 

 

“I really hate that dumbass,” Hiyori growled, still looking quite piqued, but it wasn’t as if there was anything else that she could do now. Besides, a deal was a deal – she had lost the fight (as she always did) and he was well within his right to demand anything he wished of her.

 

A date. An honest to goodness date. They didn’t even do dates, at least not the mushy, sickeningly romantic, lovey dovey sort. Just thinking of it alarmed Hiyori greatly. What the hell do those couples do on dates other than stare lovingly into each other’s eyes, cuddle under a small umbrella and stroll about like idiots in the rain? If the baldy thought that he was going to try that with her, she would cheerfully stab him in the eye with the damn umbrella.

 

The remaining three Vizards exchanged brief glances. Now that all the excitement was over, Love and Hachi excused themselves, leaving the women to their own devices.

 

Lisa wasn’t very impressed by the younger woman’s personal crisis. “You’re in a relationship with that aforementioned dumbass, Hiyori, and since people in relationships often go on dates, you might as well just give in and get used to it already.” Hiyori looked like she wanted to protest, and so Lisa continued. “Besides, there will be food.”

 

“Shinji already feeds me when we go out,” she grumbled, unconvinced.

 

Lisa did not even bat an eye. “Well, perhaps Shinji will feed you even more lovingly this time,” she uttered flatly. Hiyori looked plain horrified.

 

“I’ll make him eat my fuckin’ shoe if he even tries it,” she muttered.

 

The older woman observed her friend’s visibly flustered expression. “You really have no idea whatsoever what couples usually do on dates, do you?” she asked right out.

 

Her astute guess was right on the mark as usual. Hiyori flushed further, but refrained from commenting. Lisa’s curiosity was roused.

 

“Then what on earth do you two get up to when you’re out?”

 

“…We go for food. Sometimes we walk ‘round town. Or go ‘ta the park. Maybe kill some Hollows on the way.” Hiyori shrugged. “Normal stuff.”

 

Of course, there was also the physical affection part, but they don’t really do much of that in public, and besides, Hiyori didn’t think that was what Lisa was asking about.

 

“So basically, he feeds you, walks you, and then plays with you,” Lisa deadpanned. The ex-Lieutenant was starting to feel a bit sorry for Shinji. No wonder the man had to devise such an elaborate plot to get his lover to go on a proper date with him.

 

Hiyori scowled.

 

“Ya are makin’ me sound like some pet dog,” she muttered. Yes, a cute, fluffy but temperamental pet dog with a penchant for biting and kicking its poor, long suffering partner.

 

“There’s little difference from what I can see,” Lisa retorted blankly. Obviously a lesson of some sort was in order. “Come on; I’ll lend you some of my manga – you can pick up some hints from there.”

 

Hiyori grumbled but did not protest the suggestion. The date was going to happen no matter how she tried to resist it, now that the other Vizards were in on the plan. A stray thought occurred to the petite blonde then, and she paused.

 

“Wait a minute, Lisa,” the young woman interjected. “Aren’t most of your manga the hentai kind?”

 

Lisa didn’t even try to deny it.

 

“So?”

* * *

** Omake **

 

Hiyori frowned at the manga in her hand as she tried to make sense of the series of pictures and what it was trying to tell her. Sitting on the floor in Lisa’s bedroom, she was surrounded by stacks of comics, most of them marked with a red, very conspicuous ‘EXPLICIT’ label on their covers. The owner of the room herself was lounging on her bed, a swimsuit magazine in hand as she slowly leafed through the pages of buxom beauties prancing about in scanty attire.

 

“Lisa, what is this ‘Love Hotel’ and why do the couples going on dates always end up in it?” Hiyori asked at last. She squinted at the fascinating illustrations of the various themed rooms – they didn’t look like the interior of any hotel that she had seen before, that was for sure. “…Looks interestin’.”

 

Lisa didn’t even miss a beat or look up from her magazine as she answered, turning a page at the same time.

 

“It’s a playground for adults. Why don’t you ask Shinji to take you after your date?”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

I do feel a bit sorry for Shinji – Hiyori can be kind of hard to romance because she’s such a complete tomboy at times, and he does seem like the type who will want to lavish affection on his significant other if he can help it.

 

So here’s my take on how a date between our favorite couple will go down – hope you guys are enjoying the ride so far!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Just for the sake of clarification, the special ability of Hiyori’s Shikai in this chapter is non-Canon and derived from pure speculation on my part.

 

FYI, infrasound vibrations are extremely annoying to the human senses. It’s insistent and you can’t ignore it even if you want to (kind of like Hiyori, haha). According to my good friend Wikipedia, it can cause extremely disconcerting sensations – anxiety, uneasiness, extreme sorrow, nervous feelings of revulsion or fear, chills down the spine, and feelings of pressure on the chest. And also, like all vibrations, Kubikiri Orochi’s special ability also has the potential to shatter blades (or objects) – if Hiyori can learn to control its frequency and match it to the range of the targets, that is.

 

I also already have a very good idea of what I want her Bankai to be like, but since that’s still a _long_ way ahead, I’ll refrain from jumping the gun right now and just wait to surprise you guys when the time comes.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

I feel that Shinji’s fighting style is a complete complement of Hiyori’s. She’s hotheaded, aggressive and in-your-face, but he’s more of a patient, wait-and-see type, closely analyzing and studying his opponent’s moves and watching for probable weaknesses before he quickly and decisively struck to defeat the latter in one fell swoop.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And yes, the spar was concluded within five minutes, for the sake of realism.

 

Hiyori has never won in a serious spar against Shinji before, and for a very good reason. In terms of both abilities and physical power, he’s stronger than her, faster than her, possesses far greater spiritual power than her, and, last but not least, he is also extremely coolheaded and focused in a fight – unlike her. He also does take the spar extremely seriously and doesn’t cut her any slack whatsoever – despite her angry tirades accusing of otherwise – and that’s why he was able to defeat her so quickly.   

 

I’m aware that shounen manga typically like to drag out fight scenes, but going by common sense, long, drawn out battles usually only occur between opponents with roughly similar skill levels. In the case where one combatant is obviously more superior to the other, it usually doesn’t take very long for a victor to emerge from a fight.

 

…besides, I feel that lasting a whole five minutes against an obviously stronger opponent is a pretty awesome feat for Hiyori to achieve, especially since a scant millisecond is already more than enough to make a difference between victory and defeat.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

‘Date Night’ from next chapter on!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	18. Date Night - Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3084

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 15/08/13

**Completed on:** 16/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 19/09/13

 

* * *

**Date Night – Part I**

* * *

 

Lisa took a step back and surveyed the painstaking results of her handiwork, her turquoise eyes intently studying the visibly irritated figure of the young woman standing in front of her, critically taking in everything from the latter’s hair to her face and, last but not least, her clothes. There was an entire minute of unbearable tension as she took her time to pass judgment, but at last, the ebony-haired Vizard nodded subtly.

 

“This’ll do,” she remarked, calm as ever, though her unwilling dress up doll and clotheshorse for the entire afternoon did not look or feel anywhere near as composed.

 

Hiyori glowered at the other female. “Fuckin’ great,” she muttered disgruntledly. “This must be what a car fresh outta a fuckin’ carwash feels like.”

 

She felt somewhat violated, raw and more than a bit sore over the entire experience – she had been thoroughly washed, scrubbed and waxed earlier, until she was squeaky clean and her skin so soft and silky that it felt like a baby’s bottom. Her face had also been accordingly masked, exfoliated and moisturized, her jagged, uneven nails carefully trimmed and manicured (no nail polish though – she had nearly flipped her lid when Lisa tried to apply it on her), and even her light blonde hair gleamed with luster as it fell obediently around her small face in soft waves for once.

 

Lisa ignored her griping.

 

Despite how Hiyori was complaining, the young woman looked rather pretty and feminine at the moment, the result of an entire afternoon’s worth of personal grooming and beauty care. Her silky hair was let out of the standard pigtails, and together with her healthy, glowing complexion, served to soften the usually defensive and hardnosed attitude that she seemed to wear around herself like some sort of armor, effectively altering her appearance from that of a feisty, upstart brat to a lovely young woman. It was simply astounding what a simple change of hairstyle and clothes could do, and combined with the light makeup that Lisa had helped the other female Vizard apply, Hiyori looked incredibly cute and eye catching at the moment – even though she was also scowling grumpily at the same time.

 

“The hell do I have ‘ta look like this anyway?” she mumbled, still feeling a bit annoyed by all the unnecessary procedures she had been made to suffer through earlier.

 

“Most people dress up to impress their dates. Don’t you want to knock Shinji’s socks off?” Lisa asked flatly. Hiyori just looked down skeptically at the sundress that she was wearing and rolled her eyes.

 

“Tch. The baldy has already seen me in much less. Just puttin’ me in a dress isn’t gonna make that much of a difference.”

 

The ebony-haired ex-Lieutenant glanced briefly at Hiyori once more. The younger woman had never been too good at grasping her own physical attractiveness – she certainly liked to play it up in front of others and pretend to boast about it, but in reality, she didn’t seemed to be all too aware of just how unconsciously sexy that edgy wildness of hers could be to some men, now further emphasized by her contrasting groomed and feminized appearance.

 

“I think you’ll be surprised, Hiyori. Something tells me that Shinji’s the type to pay attention to the packaging.”

 

* * *

 

Knowing Hiyori like he did, Shinji had chosen to arrive at the warehouse a good fifteen minutes ahead of the arranged meeting time. His impatient little firebrand _hated_ to wait on people the most, but for some strange reason or another, she also possessed the most bemusing tendency of turning up early on scheduled appointments and then going around to beat up anybody who arrived after her for being tardy, even though they hadn’t even been technically late for said appointments in the first place.

 

Since he could already tell that she was going to be more than a bit recalcitrant (at least at the beginning) over this date that he had so abruptly sprung on her, in the interest of placating her undoubtedly irritable nature, he had taken care to be present slightly ahead of her, and had even brought along something that would hopefully sweeten her volatile temper.

 

Fortunately, he had indeed arrived before she was ready, for the main area of the warehouse was devoid of her presence when he entered the building.  

 

Unfortunately, the first thing he saw of her was her slipper when she emerged from the barracks a scant five minutes later. The sheer force of her disgruntled greeting was significant as always; it would have sent him flying across the length of the Vizards’ residence had he not possessed the quickness of mind to deflect the majority of the blow with his reiatsu, and as such, her footwear only bounced off of his forehead with an audible thwack, hard enough to leave a faint mark on his face (the sight of which would possibly mollify her temper), but didn’t do much damage otherwise.

 

“Damn ya, hage Shinji!! I hope you’re happy now!” she was growling at the edge of the main area, standing right in front of the doorway that led to the Vizards’ sleeping quarters.

 

He caught her slipper before it could fall to the floor, and then he belatedly realized that it wasn’t the usual dollar store footwear she typically favored. This one was white in color, platformed, and boasted intricate, beaded details on its straps. It was startlingly feminine in its design, and the dainty size ensured that it sat perfectly within the span of his large but narrow hand, though it still had been every bit as devastating a weapon as the normal version when in Hiyori’s grasp. Shinji turned his attention to its violent, irritable owner.

 

“Well, brat, I’m always happy ‘ta see ya-” the male broke off abruptly when he finally took his first good look at his lover. He paused, his mouth parted slightly in surprise, his eyes widening imperceptibly as he took in the sight of her.

 

Hiyori was wearing a white sundress that bared her shoulders and settled lightly over her slight, lithe figure, ending just above her knees and showcasing the rest of her lean, slender legs. The thin, cottony material was rather fitted around her small bust and emphasized her tiny waist before flowing down her girlish hips in a slightly flared skirt, and she looked exquisitely lovely in it. Her hair was also let out of its customary pigtails, falling slightly past her shoulders, the light golden strands brushed out till they shone, and even the pins that usually parted her fringe had been taken out for the occasion; the only decoration she wore was a bright red ribbon that had been very loosely woven into her flaxen gold strands.

 

Most captivating was her glowing features, the skillful application of black eyeliner accentuating the exotic catlike tilt of her large, ochre eyes, her already long lashes further emphasized by the use of a mascara brush. He was glad to see that nothing had been done to conceal her adorable freckles, and her small, pink mouth glistened most temptingly from the transparent gloss that had been spread over her lips, the only other hint of makeup that she wore. Something in his gut tightened, and his pupils dilated with masculine pleasure at the sight of his lover.

 

Dressed and looking the way she did now, nobody in their right mind would ever mistake her for a child ever again.

 

“ _Hiyori_ ,” he breathed, simply unable to take his eyes off of her, and that one word said everything. Hiyori, who had been simmering with agitation for the last few hours at least, was immediately caught by that expression on his face, her fiery anger quickly subsiding when she saw how he was staring at her. Suddenly, all those hours she had squandered on preparing for this stupid date didn’t seem like such a complete waste anymore, not when they made him look at her like she was the most desirable creature he had ever met.

 

His acute attention also made her feel strangely flustered and incredibly aware of her own femininity, and Hiyori did not know how to deal with that. She felt most disconcertingly like a defenseless lamb being caught under the paralyzing stare of a starving wolf, and it was both weird and extremely exhilarating at the same time. Her heart started to pound in her chest, and the earlier irritation in her eyes shifted to wariness and reluctant interest as she watched him back.

 

“Shinji…” she drew out his name slowly, and that seemed to snap him out of his daze. In three long strides he was standing right in front of her, and then he wrapped an arm around her waist and hauled her up against him, forcing her on her tiptoes to accommodate his action. Before she could react, he was already bending down and kissing her hungrily. Hiyori’s knees went slightly weak at his lustful, dominating assault – she liked it a lot when he was a bit rough with her – and she opened her mouth to kiss him back eagerly, straining against him with reciprocating desire, a pitched little moan escaping her as her tongue swiftly darted past her lips to stroke his desirously.

 

He groaned and had to struggle to clear his mind. Her scent inundated his head, the smell of bright sunshine and fresh linen, together with the faintest hint of baby powder that she always put on after her bath, and it took immense effort for him to finally pull away from her addictive mouth. If he didn’t stop now, they weren’t going anywhere but straight back to her bedroom, and the idea was starting to hold more and more merit the longer he considered it.

 

“Goddammit,” he muttered huskily, looking down at her pretty, passion flushed face and kiss swollen lips. Hiyori had always been beautiful to him, but Lisa had really outdone herself this time. “You’re absolutely breathtaking tonight, luv.”

 

The genuine, masculine admiration in his intimate tone made her turn a shade redder, and surprisingly enough, she made no mention of his endearment for her. Instead, she quickly turned her eyes away from his, her small hands coming up to his chest to push away from him.

 

“S-Shut up,” she stuttered slightly. “I’m still pissed at ya; don’t distract me!”

 

He had to hide his smile even as he let her sidle nervously out of his loose hold.

 

“Careful there,” he drawled teasingly in response. “Your tsundere side is showing.”

 

She bristled.

 

“I don’t have a tsundere side!” she denied, and then she quickly stuck out her hand. “And gimme back my slipper already, dumbass! How long are ya gonna keep holdin’ it like that?”

 

The footwear that she had thrown at his head just now was still in his hand, but he refused to return it to her when she tried to reach for it. A frustrated frown started to knit on her brow.

 

“Damn baldy!! What’re ya doin’?!” she blustered indignantly when he folded his lean frame and lowered himself before her in a crouch instead.

 

“What does it look like I’m doin’?” he retorted dryly even as he reached out for her shoeless foot and wrapped an elegant hand around her dainty ankle. She was so small and delicate despite that touchy and aggressive temperament of hers, and she reminded him of a prickly little puffer fish, blowing itself up just to look bigger and more intimidating. It was kind of cute.

 

Despite his tone, he was gentle as he lifted her leg to slip her footwear back on for her, his long fingers warm and steady against her skin, and she was acutely aware of his touch. The whole thing made her feel like some kind of fairytale princess, at least until he slowly slid his hand higher up to her bare calf, caressing her pale, smooth skin the entire way, and then he bent his golden head to press a kiss on the inner side of her leg, on the spot just slightly above her knee.

 

She jerked in surprise. “S-Shinji!!”

 

He proceeded to mark the sensitive flesh there with a playful lave of his tongue, and something inside of her just _clenched_ at the exquisite sensation. A small, breathless squeak escaped her, and chuckling slightly, he finally withdrew. She quickly tried to kick him in the face then, but he still had a firm hold on her leg and he was not stupid enough to release her until she had calmed down.

 

“Aren’t ya feisty tonight,” he remarked amusedly. “Be good, or I won’t give ya your present.”

 

That got her attention. “What present?” she demanded, and now that she was sufficiently distracted, he finally let go of her and straightened to stand in front of her once more.

 

He was in a Gigai for the occasion, and he was dressed in modern clothes, in the style that he favored. Tailored charcoal grey slacks adorned his long legs and his feet were encased in his favorite designer loafers. His crisp, fitting dark turquoise dress shirt was tucked in neatly but left deliberately unbuttoned at the collar, teasingly revealing the column of his throat and the hint of his clavicles. A casual black blazer completed the entire ensemble, and as always, his appearance was both sharp and flawless.

 

Smirking lazily at her interested expression, her lover reached into the side pocket of his jacket and withdrew a flat box roughly the size of his hand, and her eyes quickly lit up when she recognized the packaging label of her favorite chocolatier.

 

“Truffles?” she asked hopefully, her eyes starting to glimmer with excitement. “All the way from Hokkaido?! Gimme!!”

 

It was not often that she got to eat the confections from that particular candy confectionary that could only be found exclusively in the northern region of Japan, and to say that she was eager would be an understatement. He held the tray of handmade chocolates out of her reach.

 

“I think you’re happier ‘ta see this than me,” he teased, and she growled at him.

 

“Duh!! I see ya ugly mug all the time! Now gimme!!”

 

“How rude. Shouldn’t ya be askin’ more nicely, brat?”

 

She puffed out her cheeks slightly and looked mutinously stubborn at first, but another glance at the sweets, so near but yet so far, immediately weakened her resolve. Those delicious chocolates really were to die for, and it wasn’t long before Hiyori relented and mumbled reluctantly from the side of her pouting mouth. “…Please, Shinji."

 

Shinji’s gaze was rife with affection for his petite lover. He lowered the box of chocolates, but instead of giving it to her, he pulled open the lid and picked out a piece with his graceful fingers.

 

“Open your mouth,” he purred softly, and she looked straight at him, brow knitting slightly as she did so. Normally, she would have responded to his ridiculous demand with a punch to the head ( _his_ head, most specifically), but this time, the _look_ in his golden eyes stilled her tongue, mesmerizing her with its languid, desirous brilliance, and an instinctual part of her stirred in response to it. Hiyori’s wariness faded away. His acute attention was both extremely enthralling and breathtaking, and she found herself wordlessly obeying him instead, boldly locking her gaze with his even as she submitted to his request and opened her mouth, tilting her face slightly towards him.

 

He fed her slowly, pushing the candy past her pink lips, watching intently as the cocoa-dusted ball of creamy, soft, milk chocolate slowly disappeared into the slick cavern of her mouth.

 

The delicate, delicious confection all but melted on her tongue, the light, buttery texture and the utterly smooth taste of the chocolate bringing her so much enjoyment that she hummed lightly from it. Her eyes fluttered close with bliss, and a small smile threatened creep across her face. Hiyori’s weakness for well-made sweets was an open secret amongst the Vizards – it was about the only thing guaranteed to raise her spirits and make her happy when everything else had failed.

 

“Was it good?” he asked, and she slowly opened her eyes to look at him. The sheer pleasure reflected in those ochre depths answered his question, though it also made him shake his head amusedly at her.

 

“I’m gonna be jealous if ya keep lookin’ like that.”

 

Her eyes gleamed slightly, and she slowly, deliberately, swallowed the decadent chocolate that he had just fed her. She caught his wrist with her hands and brought his chocolate stained fingers to her lips, first lapping at his thumb with her small pink tongue, and then sucking his index and middle digits into her mouth and slowly licking them clean as well, watching him the entire time.

 

Golden eyes quickly darkened.

 

She was deliberately teasing him, the little minx, and it was working. He pulled his damp fingers away and ducked his head down, catching her mouth with his own and kissing her hard and quick. Unsurprisingly, she tasted like chocolates. She leaned into him instinctively, enthusiastically showing her affection in the only way she knew how, and she was so eager for him that he had trouble keeping in mind that they still had a date to get to. Pulling away from that soft, addictive mouth of hers, he quickly reached over and swiped his thumb over her full, bottom lip, cleaning away the small smudge of cocoa powder there and then bringing his hand up to his own mouth and absently licking the digit clean. She growled softly, and he gave her a small, lazy smirk that did all sorts of strange things to her insides.

 

Shinji shut the lid of the box of chocolates still in his other hand and then gave it to his lover. She was more than happy to accept.

 

“Keep them for later,” he told her, his voice husky with intent, and suddenly, she seemed more interested in him than in the special gift he had brought her, her feline eyes glowing with the stirrings of feminine desire as she watched him. Her attention made his blood heat up. She was giving him that particular look that was just asking for her to be ravished by him, and it was becoming increasingly difficult not to take her up on her unspoken offer.

 

“C’mon, let’s get outta here.”

 

He took her hand in his and led her out into the night.

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Uhm, nothing much to explain here, though I should probably warn that the next two chapters will also be of the fluffy/romantic/smutty variety, so please keep your Shoujo glasses on, ahaha.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 

 


	19. Date Night - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3008

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 16/08/13

**Completed on:** 17/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 23/09/13

 

* * *

**Date Night – Part II**

* * *

 

He brought her to the park.

 

She was bewildered by his choice of location at first, but then she noticed the large platform that had been set up in the middle of the park, right in the main field by the duck pond. There was a surprising amount of humans milling about the place too, picnic mats spread all over the place in front of the stage, and it seemed like they were having a huge party right there on the flat meadow.

 

“What’s this?” she blurted out, eying her surroundings curiously. He did not answer her straightaway, but playfully placed an index finger against his lips to hush her questions before he simply led her off to the sidelines of the field and into the adjacent tree line, where it was quiet and utterly devoid of people. It was a short walk before they reached a small clearing, one that was near enough that they could still hear the stage that was a small ways over, but yet allotted them complete privacy away from the main crowd. She could also sense the powerful Kido barrier cast around the place as they stepped through it, one that would ensure absolute seclusion from the rest of the world and deter any curious beings from entering.

 

Hiyori stared at the sight before her. There, under the sheltering boughs of an enormous tree, was a large but rather cozy looking construct that seemed to be made out of nothing but blankets, bed sheets, carpets and fluffy pillows. The wide, tented roof was cleverly formed by draping heavy quilts over a sturdy, wooden frame, and through the entrance, she could see that its interior was laid out with nothing but soft bedding and cushions, looking utterly warm and inviting. The entire place was lit up by strings of light and strategically placed candle lanterns, the soft, flickering lighting lending an undeniably romantic atmosphere to the previously empty and unremarkable clearing.

 

Shinji chuckled softly at the utterly stumped expression on his lover’s face.

 

“Pretty sweet, huh?” he drawled, sounding quite pleased with himself for coming up with the idea on his own. “I made us a ‘lil love nest for tonight. Ya like?”

 

She slowly turned her head to look at him. And then, she promptly kicked him right in the shin.

 

“Ya make it sound so disgustin’,” she snapped, but there was no denying the bewildered fluster in her voice and the hint of a flush on her face. She hadn’t really put a lot of strength into her kick, and so he took her surprised reaction as a sign of her approval. Grinning unrepentantly at her, he dropped a heavy arm around her shoulders and drew her protesting form to him to drop a quick kiss on her mouth.

 

“C’mon,” he told her affectionately. “Let’s get settled. Ya hungry?”

As usual, nothing got her moving faster than the promise of food, and she allowed him to guide her towards the blanket fort that he’d erected for the occasion. Kicking off her slippers, she slowly ducked under the low roof and entered cautiously. Much to her secret pleasure, the inside was every bit as comfortable as it had looked to her earlier. Relaxing slightly, Hiyori immediately clambered deeper in and claimed the spot with the highest density of soft, fluffy surfaces, making herself comfortable amongst the nest of blankets and pillows. Her lover followed her in, and he pulled out a picnic basket and a cooler from the side. She scooted over quickly to see what he had, and she wasn’t disappointed.

 

He presented to her several neatly arranged plates of finger food – club sandwiches, wraps, canapés, cold cuts and cheese – and although they weren’t anything very complicated or exquisite enough to write home about, they were still pretty damn good. For drinks, there was chilled lemonade and bottled water, nothing even remotely alcoholic though – after the last time she got drunk, Shinji really didn’t want to take his chances.

 

“How the hell did ya find the time to do all this??” Hiyori asked in between bites as she dug in ravenously.

 

“It’s a secret,” he replied, eyeing her fondly as she seemed to enjoy the meal. He took advantage of her preoccupation with the food to get in closer, casually lounging beside her like a lazy cat and propping his chin on an upturned palm to watch her. She gave him a somewhat disgruntled stare.

 

“What?” she demanded snippily, feeling a bit self-conscious all of a sudden. “What do ya want?”

 

“Nothin’,” he answered all too innocuously, even as he picked up a canapé and bit into it. “Ya seem ‘ta be enjoyin’ this date so far, brat.”

 

She could feel her cheeks heating up slightly, but she could not deny his remark. She shrugged and tried to look as nonchalant as she could manage it. “It’s okay, I s’pose. At least there’s food.”

 

It was more than just okay, to be honest, and he probably already knew it, judging by the small grin on his face. He had taken into consideration her dislike for crowds (the sole exception being rock gigs) and places with formal, controlled environments like the fancy restaurants that couples usually went to for dates, and had still managed to create an experience that did not overtly stress or agitate her. She was quite liking this entire blanket fort thing, in fact; it was pretty nice and private… _andalsokindaromantic_. The baldy had really done his homework this time, and just when she thought that he had already revealed all the surprises up his sleeve, strains of music could suddenly be heard floating in from the outside.

 

She looked at him in surprise.

 

“They finally started,” he commented, looking quite pleased, and then he arched a brow at her. “The night concert at the park, remember? And it’s a jazz performance, too.”

 

Sure enough, it was indeed his favorite kind of music. Unlike him, Hiyori was not exactly a huge fan, but it was still tolerable, and right now she was feeling mellow enough that the tunes that were being played the next field over did sound kind of nice to her. The acoustics were also surprisingly distinct despite the fact that they were not even in the same clearing as the performers, and even though it wasn’t as good as it would be if they were in front of the stage together with the rest of the audience, Shinji seemed pretty happy with what they were getting, closing his eyes and letting the sounds of the jazz band wash over him. 

 

The dumbass looked rather content at the moment, relaxing as he enjoyed the music and let it take him away from the stress of his work and other related responsibilities, if only for a while. Hiyori just left him to it as she focused on filling her stomach – she was not someone who required constant attention from her lover even if they happened to be on a date, most definitely not when there was food on hand as the ultimate equalizer. She slunk over to the cooler to look for dessert after she polished off her share of the main, and was not entirely surprised when she found it sitting at the bottom of the box. Lifting it out with a triumphant flourish – she came, she saw, she conquered – she was thrilled to see that it was a delicious looking strawberry trifle; sweet, fluffy whipped cream layered between pieces of soft, vanilla sponge cake and decorated with lots and lots of strawberries.

 

Oh yeah. This was the life.

 

She grabbed a clean spoon and quickly dug in with delighted relish. The juicy strawberry that she bit into was utterly delicious, and its sweet tartness went hand in hand with the light cream and the cake. Hiyori was happy, and she would gladly concentrate on finishing the yummy treat all on her own if not for the strong arm that suddenly snaked around her middle and pulled her back against a broad chest. The petite blonde squawked in surprise.

 

“Dammit, hage!”

 

He turned her around to face him, and was promptly treated to the rather comical sight of Hiyori hugging the trifle bowl to herself and looking sheepishly defensive at the same time. “Startin’ dessert without me now, brat?” he asked with pointed amusement. “You gonna finish it all on your own?”

 

He simply knew her all too well, even though she looked away and quickly tried to deny it, pursing her lips as she did so. “‘Course not! I was just tastin’ it a little! And ‘sides, you were more interested in your music anyway.” She was clearly trying to change the subject, and so he obliged her.

 

“Oh, were ya feelin’ neglected?” he teased softly, and she quickly reddened, seeming to realize abruptly how she had walked right into that one. “You have my full attention now, luv.”

 

This was getting downright embarrassing for her (he made her sound like some overly needy and obsessive girlfriend), and she wanted it to stop, immediately. The petite blonde did the first thing that came into mind – she dug into the trifle and promptly shoved the entire spoonful of dessert into the baldy’s big mouth.

 

“Here,” she muttered abruptly. “Eat that and shut up.”

 

He nearly choked on a rather large piece of strawberry. “Hiyori!” he reprimanded slightly once he finally got the fruit down, but she was completely unrepentant. The female Vizard took a spoonful of cream and slapped it across his face this time. Shinji growled, but she just smirked at him – he looked pretty funny at the moment.

 

“Alright. _That’s it_.” The Fifth Division Captain wrested the bowl from her grasp and quickly set it aside, ignoring her rather vocal protest as he lunged for her next. She scrambled to dodge him but forgot that she was wearing a dress and immediately tripped over the hem, spilling rather clumsily amongst the bedding with a muttered curse. He was more than fine with that and followed her down, pining her under him rather securely.

 

“Hage…! Lemme go!” she demanded, scowling at him.

 

“Nah. If you’re gonna act like a child, then I’m gonna treat ya like one,” he informed her, though she had trouble taking him seriously since he was still wearing dollops of cream on his face.

 

“I ain’t a child,” she retorted petulantly, and then she went right ahead and disproved her own statement when she lifted her head and licked a streak of cream off of his cheekbone in a rather juvenile tactic to disgust him and get him to back off of her.

 

Her brilliant idea backfired real quickly – she immediately gained his full attention instead, and his expression of mild irritation slid right off of his face. She wasn’t exactly complaining, though. He was watching her closely now, and his masculine interest fed her feminine ego – made fissures of excitement run through her body. So, she did it again, this time reaching up more slowly to languidly lap off the rest of the trifle, deliberately pressing just a little closer and brushing her mouth provocatively against his skin as she did so. She peered at him from behind her long lashes and was immediately gratified to see him focused utterly on her, his pupils dilating ever so slightly with the sure signs of pleasure and arousal. She slowly licked her lips. He was definitely no longer paying attention to his jazz music.

 

Hiyori turned her head slightly and pressed her mouth against his, licking hungrily along the seam of his lips at the same time. His golden eyes darkened, became half lidded, and he responded to her by lowering his head and kissing her back, nipping her full bottom lip and sucking her slick tongue into his mouth to play with his own. She squirmed against him, leaning in impatiently for more. He had been subtly teasing her ever since they met this evening, and now that she was fed, she was perfectly open to the notion of him sating her other needs.

 

The petite blonde made no secret of the fact that she rather enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship; sex with Shinji always gave her such a fierce, heady, adrenaline rush, and he also never failed to make her feel very, _very_ good in the aftermath of the experience – there was nothing to dislike as far as Hiyori was concerned. The female Vizard moaned throatily as she rubbed up against her lover like an extremely affectionate feline, trying to get him to touch her more, her mouth sucking at his with fervent passion even as he drugged her with his deep, thorough kisses in turn, driving her wild and making her even more restless than she already was.

 

Shinji reached down and laid his hand on her bare knee, his callused fingers caressing the smooth skin there slowly. She was very, very impatient, wiggling under him and parting her legs slightly in invitation, wanting to feel his hands all over her body as quickly as possible. It was a challenge to keep her still – if he let her have her way, she would have flipped him onto his back and been all over him in an instant – she was such a fiercely passionate little thing and it was impossible not to be turned on by her when she was being so eager and ardent. This was not exactly what he had in mind when he planned the date, but Hiyori had always had a knack of throwing a wrench into his plans, and besides, he wasn’t about to turn down her request to make love to her.

 

He moved his hand further up her leg, slipping under the hem of her dress, lightly squeezing her thigh with amorous affection, and she growled edgily against his mouth. As usual, he was taking his own sweet time, and she quickly grew fed up with his sloth-like (at least it certainly felt like that to her) exploration of her body. Not surprisingly, it didn’t take long for Hiyori to decide to take matters into her own hand – literally.

 

Pulling away from that distracting mouth of his, the small blonde reached down to where her lover was very leisurely feeling her up and swiftly caught hold of his wrist, and then she very decisively dragged his hand straight up to where she was throbbing so badly and desperately needed his attentions the most. “Damn hage,” she burst out a tad breathlessly even as she arched her smallish hips eagerly into his large palm. “Just how long are ya gonna keep gropin’ around down there?”

 

But Shinji was no longer paying any attention to her words. He had just discovered something very amazing, and his lean frame slowly stiffened in disbelief as he looked at the little minx lying under him.

 

“Brat,” he drew out slowly, huskily. “Where the hell’s your underwear?”

He could directly feel the soft slickness of her tantalizing body as his long, narrow fingers probed at the juncture between her legs – she was already maddeningly moist – and completely and utterly free of any cloth barriers whatsoever.

 

Hiyori seemed to suddenly remember something. She simply lifted a bare shoulder in a careless and sexy shrug, much to his rising incredulity and arousal.

 

“I didn’t wear any today.”

 

She looked and sounded so utterly casual about it, and he stared at her for a moment before an unintelligible sound escaped him. Good god. She was going to drive him crazy.

 

Hiyori prodded her lover rather impatiently in the shoulder. “Can we get back ‘ta the program already?” she demanded rather peevishly. “I already made it easier for ya by not puttin’ on any panties. What’s it gonna take ‘ta get laid ‘round here?”

 

Shinji didn’t know whether to laugh or to groan at her bossy tone.

 

“Don’t worry. You’re definitely gettin’ laid tonight,” he muttered. He reached over and kissed her so hard and lustily that he managed to shut her up properly for at least a good minute or so. When he finally pulled away to let her breathe, she looked so beautifully dazed that his masculine pride was utterly stoked.

 

She was slightly bewildered and more than a bit disappointed when he withdrew from her then, easing up on her body to kneel between her legs instead. There was something utterly wicked in his eyes, though, and that made her heart start to race madly in her chest. How she both hated and loved that feeling of utter thrill that he could so easily stir up in her.

 

“Hiyori,” Shinji drawled lazily, silkily, even as he wrapped his hands around her dainty ankles and slowly pulled her towards him, so that her dress gradually rode up to her middle and left her utterly exposed to him from the waist down. She did not resist him; after all, she wanted the same thing that he did, and the way his narrow, hungry eyes acutely took in everything of her made the tension in the pit of her stomach grow just a tad more taut than before.

 

Her bare legs were pale and slender, and without the additional bulk of the thick track pants she usually favored to hide her form, revealed her lithe, feminine build, from the delicate arch of her small feet to the slight, charming curve of her calves and the welcoming softness of her milky thighs. She was in complete disarray; her light blonde hair sexily mussed and spread unbound on the bedding, her cheeks flushed and her lips red and puffy, her glowing catlike eyes heavy with passion as she watched him – _she was utterly beguiling_.

 

In the background, the low, husky acoustics of the jazz saxophone reverberated lazily through the clearing, decadently smooth and provocative.

 

Shinji gave her a languorous smile, one that was filled with all sorts of sensual promise. Hiyori’s breath hitched at that irresistible, roguish look on his face.

 

“Shall we dance, luv?”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Oh well, I don’t know what exactly came over me when I wrote this, but I suddenly thought that it would be really interesting if I can incorporate the idea of a blanket fort/night picnic theme into this mini ‘date’ arc. Well, I think it works…? It’s private and romantic enough, and besides, I really have trouble picturing Hiyori willing to sit through a formal ten-course dinner in a rigid setting, so this does feel like the next best thing for her.

 

Blanket forts are really cozy! And great for canoodling couples!!

 

(Disclaimer: A-herm. By the way, I’ve never build one myself but Pinterest sure made the idea look good enough to use!)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

…also, L&T is long overdue for the scheduled smut slot, so consider this the pre-event…? Haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And yes, Hiyori might be dressed like a pretty little angel at the moment, but she definitely still has her naughty girl streak hidden inside!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Nothing else to add – hope you lot enjoyed this chapter!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	20. Date Night - Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4084

**Rating:** M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!!**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 18/08/13

**Completed on:** 21/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 28/09/13

 

* * *

**Date Night – Part III**

* * *

 

The small golden-haired female was sprawled carelessly amongst the blankets, her dress bunched haphazardly around her middle, leaving her completely bare everywhere else.

 

Tiny red marks decorated her neck, shoulders and chest – the physical signs of affection left by her amorous lover – and her ochre eyes were fogged with passion, vague and unseeing as she stared straight ahead, her hands curled into tiny fists by her sides, bunching the sheets under her as she struggled not to yell out her pleasure to the vast starlit skies above. She was trembling finely, her nude, nubile body hypersensitive against the cool night air, her small, pert breasts aching with the need to be caressed and kissed once again by long, elegant fingers and a hot, tender mouth.  

 

Her breathing was rapid, her chest rising up and down quickly, the delineation of her ribcage obvious as it moved with every sharp intake of breath. The soft candle lights cast flickering shadows over her small, waiflike form. She was tense with arousal, the needy expression on her face highly erotic and alluring at the same time, and she had to bite her lips to keep from letting any sound escape her. Fuck. He was _killing_ her. He was killing her so damn good that she had to fight not to give in to her natural instincts and-

 

“ _Nnnngh_.”

 

The helpless little whine spilled out from her throat when he deliberately swirled his tongue hard against her clitoris, and her hips immediately surged against his mouth, powerless to resist his relentless assault on her senses.

 

He held her down firmly and paused in his ministrations, and she nearly cried when he stopped. He slowly lifted his head from between her legs and licked his lips, sampling her delicate essence on his palate.

 

“Hiyori,” Shinji’s voice was husky, intimate. Teasing. “What did I say ‘bout keepin’ quiet?”

 

She was flushed, utterly hot and bothered, and she was really regretting agreeing to his completely torturous condition. She shook her head wordlessly at him, not trusting herself to speak, her jaw clenched tight with lust and frustration, and he just looked amusedly at her, damn him.

 

“I’ll give ya ‘nother chance. One more sound from ya, and I’m stoppin’ for good. I’m enjoyin’ the concert right now, ya know.”

 

Fuck the concert, she wanted to yell at him, but she was still bound to the agreement that he had tricked her into earlier, and he was loving her so damn well that she could not bring herself to do anything to jeopardize the sheer pleasure that he was bringing her. She was feeling so flustered and mad with desire, and just about everything was exciting her right now, churning her into a crazed frenzy; from the attentive, heavy lidded look on his face to the feel of his large hands gripping her thighs, and even the slow, decadent jazz music playing in the background sounded like sensuous sex to her.

 

After this evening, she would never, _ever_ , see his favorite music genre as boring or old fashioned again.

 

He lifted her effortlessly and pushed a pillow under her lower back, propping her hips up further so that the position gave him easier access to her body. She was utterly pliant to his maneuvering, conceding to him in this instance, closing her eyes as she tried rather futilely to calm the frantic racing of her heart. She could sense him shifting his weight slightly, settling back between her legs like a lazy tomcat; she shivered as his long fingers caressed her inner thigh, and her eyes burst open when she felt his mouth replace his hand in a sensual kiss.  

 

There was a swift intake of air on her side as their gazes met, and he did not break eye contact as his hot, moist mouth moved leisurely over her silken flesh, his tongue flicking lightly over the sensitive skin, and then he suckled slowly, intentionally leaving another small, red mark of possession mere inches away from her flowering arousal. He was not nearly cruel enough to leave her hanging while he was worshipping other parts of her body, and she jerked slightly when he brushed his fingers against the intense moistness between her legs, his thumb sliding achingly slow against her swollen vulva to rub the tiny pearl that nestled within it.

 

Hiyori had to turn her face to the side and clamp her mouth shut to keep from crying out, her slender torso twisting beautifully as she arched up from the bedding. She didn’t know how much longer she could stand this exquisite form of torture, but it felt so damn _good_ , and she was getting so turned on by it that she was shaking uncontrollably with acute sexual tension. She was panting softly like she had just slaughtered an entire slew of Menos Grandes, and she felt so hyperaware of _him_ that it was almost painful.

 

He pulled her bodily back to him and licked softly at the little love bite that he had just put on her inner thigh. Then, still looking at her, he slowly lifted her leg and draped it over his shoulder. Giving the tiny bruise one last affectionate kiss, he moved even closer to her, finally putting both of his hands to good use between her legs. The position that he put her in left her completely and lewdly open to his hungry gaze, and he took the time to admire the way her womanhood glistened beautifully from sexual excitement, her flushed and plump labia parted to reveal the pretty pink flesh hidden within.

 

She looked mouthwateringly luscious, and he knew for a fact that she tasted exquisite. Her delectable, womanly scent clouded his head, and he did not hesitate as he put his mouth on that most sensitive part of her once more, moving his lips deliberately against her slick entrance, his pierced tongue insistently parting her slippery folds again and again, greedily lapping up the sweet nectar of her body even as she writhed under him.

 

Caught in the throes of carnal lust, Hiyori brought her forearm to her mouth and bit down on it to keep from moaning out loud. Her head thrashed from side to side, and at last she made a wild grab for one of the smaller cushions lying nearby, bringing it up to her face to gag herself with it. Bloody hell, that sinful mouth of his was going to be her undoing. The way he was quickly flicking his tongue against her clit made her toes curl and her eyes threaten to roll into the back of her head, and she was already strung so taut with arousal that when he pushed a long finger into her tight, convulsing passage to further intensify her experience, stroking her quickly and urgently, she very swiftly lost it, bucking against him madly as he overwhelmed her senses with sheer pleasure. 

 

Shinji stilled completely as he let her orgasm overtake her, his mouth pressed against her heaving body in a silent kiss, his large, narrow hands steadying her as she suddenly clamped tight and came apart with a muffled scream. She remained tensed for the longest time, her slight form quivering finely from the sheer force of her release, and she was so delightfully wet that he could not help but slowly start to lap at her again, languidly and repeatedly sliding his tongue into her small physique to coax out more of that addictive honeyed sweetness.

 

She mewed weakly, so acutely aware of his every action even when her body felt utterly boneless and she was already limp from satisfaction. He was still not done with her though, and took advantage of her momentary passivity to continue to make love to her with his mouth, wrapping his lips around the painfully sensitive bundle of nerve endings and sucking lightly on it, drinking from her body and using the rough pad of his tongue to stimulate her relentlessly. Her lithe, perspiration-slicked body was still experiencing the aftershocks from her previous climax, still hypersensitive from his exquisite attentions, and it didn’t take long for him to nudge her over the edge once more, and this time, she wailed his name into the pillow, loud enough that he could clearly hear it despite her rather futile attempt to restrain herself.

 

He smiled inwardly. She was cute when she was like that.

 

She was lying in a disheveled, wildly abandoned heap before him, her limbs sprawled haphazardly around her and the expression on her face dazed and languid from spent passion. She looked irresistibly sexy to him, and he slowly sat up, lightly swiping a thumb across his damp mouth and then licking the pad of his finger deliberately as he did so. She was watching him, her eyes darkening, ochre depths slowly stirring with renewed desire for him. She pushed herself up shakily and crawled over to him, leaning up and kissing him eagerly. She was being very demonstrative, rubbing against him with needy euphoria, drunk from pleasure and the oxytocin running through her veins, and he groaned at her amorously affectionate onslaught.

 

Her mouth sucked at his hungrily, her tongue darting out to lick at his lips, small teeth nipping lightly, and she seemed to grow even more excited as she tasted herself on him. He was still fully clothed whereas she was already unabashedly nude as the day she was born, her dress now crumpled and bunched uselessly around her middle. She climbed onto his lap and pushed up against him, hurriedly divesting him of his blazer and all but ready to rip his shirt off of him next, but he stopped her before she could ruin the fabric – he had already lost more than his share of shirts thanks to her impatient hands, and this one happened to be one of his favorites – and undid the buttons himself instead.

 

Hiyori ground lightly against him and ducked her head against his exposed neck, restlessly kissing every inch of bare skin that she could reach, and she was being so damn fervent and passionate that he had trouble containing her. Her hands moved down to his pants even as her mouth roved over his exposed chest, running her tongue against his defined pectorals and male nipples, scraping her teeth against his flesh even as her nimble fingers worked speedily to unfasten his belt and his zipper. She started to delve beneath the waistband of his boxer briefs, and she pushed him down onto the bedding at the same time. Hiyori straddled his thighs even as her small hand closed around his erection, quickly freeing him from the confines of his clothes.

 

He was already heavy and stiff with arousal, and she shimmied down the length of his legs, bending over to kiss the head of his penis. She rubbed her lips affectionately against the sensitive ridge of his shaft, and then swirled her tongue in his slit, and his stomach clenched at the sensation. Then, she was licking him from root to tip, again and again, her saliva mixing with the traces of clear pre-ejaculate that were leaking out from him as a sign of sexual excitement, lubricating him even as she wrapped one hand around his girth and stroked him eagerly, her other hand playing with his balls in a way that she knew he was utterly weak to. She was touching him with such enthusiasm, and he could not help but instinctively react to the utterly wanton sight of her pleasuring him, and when she took him into his mouth, cherry red lips wrapped around his hard length even as she continued to give him a hand job, something in him snapped.

 

He sat up suddenly and swiftly grabbed her, forcing her to release him and dislodging her from his body as he got into a crouch before her. Snaking an arm around her small waist, he lifted her effortlessly and swiveled her around so that she was facing away from him, and then he pushed her onto her hands and knees. She was so light that it was utterly easy to maneuver her, and he nudged her down further onto the bedspread, so that she was bent right over in front of him, her shoulders resting against the soft surface while her flanks were still raised up in the air, supported by her knees. Her new position provided him a very erotic view of her flowering womanhood, and he wasted no time divesting himself of the rest of his clothes and then rising up over her to cover her smaller form.

 

Hiyori was surprised by how quickly he had moved, but Shinji did not give her much time to wonder what he was up to. Lowering his head, he thoroughly kissed the erogenous zones of her exposed shoulders and neck, his large hands caressing her bare stomach and chest, and it wasn’t long before she was squirming needily against him again. Growing increasingly flustered by his ministrations, she tried to reach around to touch him once again, but he just bore down on her with his weight and gave her no leeway to move. His hot mouth caressed the slender column of her throat, and a tiny sound escaped her.

 

“ _Shhh_ ,” he husked, and shivers ran up her spine at the silky tone of his voice. “No noise, remember?”

 

He definitely had got to be fucking kidding her. All she could think of was screwing him right now and if he thought that she still cared about his stupid game and his stupid music, then he was going to be in for a big surprise.

 

“If ya want me ‘ta be quiet, then shut me up yourself,” she challenged him irritably, turning her head to glower at him, her ochre eyes dark with lust.

 

To her surprise, he chuckled.

 

“I was wonderin’ how much more it was gonna take before ya caved,” he remarked in a low, delicious tenor, and the expression on her face was a mix of annoyance and arousal when she realized that was the true condition of his terribly unamusing game. It was never even about his jazz concert, which was still playing in the background, though neither of them was paying the music much attention right now.

 

“Damn baldy…” she growled, looking quite affronted. He moved in and kissed her hungrily before her temper could ignite, and that quieted her for a bit. His hand crept downwards from her waist to the feminine treasure nestled between her legs, and his voracious little lover immediately rubbed herself against his fingers, panting at the maddening friction. His digits came away wet, and he slid his hand to her thigh next, coaxing her to spread her legs further apart, opening her up for his lovemaking.

 

She bucked into him impatiently, and he nipped at her bare shoulder in light reprimand, though that only served to turn her on even more, judging by her rough purr of sensual delight. Wrapping his arm around her middle once again to still her, he finally, slowly, pressed the tip of his erection against her slick entrance.

 

Hiyori strained against him, trying to take all of him in her immediately, but he held her down firmly, controlling the depth and speed of his penetration. “You’ve had your fun, brat,” he murmured wickedly against the shell of her ear. “Now’s my turn.”

 

He slid slowly into her, filling her completely in one thrust, much to her quiet moan of pleasure. The position he put her in made it easier for him to enter her; she was so small that it was usually a struggle to fit himself inside of her at first – and he enjoyed how she was contracting around him, her inner muscles rippling furiously as he remained fully hilted in her. His hand reached down between her legs once more, and he started to move against her, his fingers gently caressing her clitoris, plump and swollen from sexual excitement, once again stirring her up at the same time as he pulled out of her before sinking back in again.

 

She could feel every inch of him acutely as he moved against her, every sinful glide of his flanks intensifying her pleasure, and her knees threatened to go out on her when he went in so deep that the tip of his arousal hit the entrance of her cervix.

 

“ _Shit_ , Shinji!” she squeaked breathlessly, buckling slightly under him before he simply pulled her upright, supporting her weight with a strong arm even as he angled her to receive him better. Her breath hitched helplessly when he did it again, and the pain-pleasure sensation drove her wild. She turned her face into the bedding and bit into the fabric, and then she curved the lower half of her body up into his sleek, sinewy loins, rubbing her bottom against him in an entirely enticing way that made him grit his teeth and drive hard into her. She gasped, and then she was quickly begging for more.

 

He slowly pressed her down onto her stomach until she was lying flat on the blankets, and then he straddled her from the back, grinding against the beguiling softness of her shapely behind, hissing at how snug she was. His lean, rangy frame was curled over her smaller one as he held her down with one hand on the small of her back and the other between her shoulder blades, and he bent down to kiss the side of her slender throat even as he continued to thrust into her. The way her body was grasping hungrily at his was simply intoxicating, and the feel of her was so amazing that it was a challenge not to lose control and just ride her, _hard_.

 

Hiyori was also not making matters easy for him. His petite lover was struggling under him, trying to match his movements, and the frantic little sounds that came out from her mouth were arousing as hell. At last, he shifted over her, briefly pinning her with his full weight before curling an arm around her middle once again and anchoring her slight form to his own. She was shivering against him, very much on edge, and he rolled onto his side on the bedding, taking her with him and spooning her intimately. She whimpered when their movements made him shift inside of her, setting off sparks of pleasure across the numerous nerve endings lined along her inner walls, and she quickly squeezed hard around his shaft in reaction.

 

He swore lightly under his breath – she was so damn _tight_. Shinji reached down to the crook of her knee with his free hand and draped her leg over his hip, propping her small feet against the back of his upper thigh, opening her up slightly and easing the pressure somewhat. He lazily rolled his hips against hers, his hand slipping over from her slender, trembling limb to possessively cup her mound of Venus, his long, elegant digits sliding against her slick folds, fingering her once again as he continued to move in and out of her in long, thorough strokes.

 

She was becoming very tense – she was already all strung up from his tender ministrations earlier and, right now, everything was putting her into overdrive, the feel of his body against hers, the musky , heady scent of his cologne, the way he was loving her _so good_ – the fierce ball of need gathering in the pit of her belly was becoming tighter and tighter, and she turned her face frantically to his, meeting his mouth in a lusty, carnal kiss even as she moved instinctively to meet every powerful flex of his loins.

 

“Shinji,” she panted against his lips, her eyes glowing with wild passion. “ _Harder_. Fuck me _harder_.”

 

He could sense that she was very close to completion, and so he obliged her, picking up on the pace of their lovemaking and pulling her tight against him, and she seemed to curl into him, quivering as he increased the speed of his thrusts, his head ducking against her exposed neck as he bit down lightly on the sensitive flesh. She whined shakily, her hand coming up behind to briefly grab hold of his flank, her nails digging into his bare flesh as he rocked hard against her. Their breathing was harsh, their bodies damp with a fine sheen of sweat, and exhilaration heated their bloods as they bonded with each other physically.

 

Hiyori was quickly overwhelmed when all that tension building inside of her suddenly burst apart in a powerful shower of sensual pleasure. Her fingers dug into the bedding and she froze mid arch, a loud, breathless cry escaping her as she met her release, this one by far the most powerful out of all the others that her lover had given her that evening. Shinji’s arm tightened around her waist as she shuddered and shook helplessly against him, overtaken by her orgasm as she was momentarily blinded by the pure sensations of sexual gratification.

 

The fierce tide of her orgasm was enough to force Shinji to surrender to his own climax. Her inner muscles clamped down hard on him, and the sleek, undulating walls gripped around his erection like a hot, silken vice, massaging his male flesh with blatant eroticism. The explicitly wanton way she was mercilessly constricting around him made it extremely hard for him not to react to her body’s instinctive stimulation, and he quickly buried himself completely in her in one last, hard stroke. The increasing pressure at the base of his spine quickly exploded in an intense climax as he stiffened and gave himself to the incredible persuasions of her heaving, welcoming womb, pouring his seed in her with a deep, husky groan of satisfaction.

 

For the longest moment, neither of them moved as they remained tangled in each other, their hearts pounding madly from their carnal exertions. Then, Shinji sighed and dropped a tired kiss on the small patch of skin behind Hiyori’s ear. She had gone utterly limp in his arms after her release, her bare chest still moving a tad too quickly as she struggled to regain control of her senses. He raised his hand to turn her face to his, kissing her cheek and then brushing his mouth against her full, rosy lips. She slowly, languidly responded to his display of affection after a while, her feline gaze now lazy with contentment – she looked mussed and utterly well loved.

 

The petite blonde separated briefly from her lover and then wiggled around to face him. She reached up and started to kiss him hungrily, still feeling high from her orgasm, her tongue licking sweetly at his mouth even as she pressed her nude body up against him invitingly once more. He groaned again, this time with a mix of chagrin and amusement. The mixture of their essences was seeping from her body and staining her upper thighs, but she did not seem to care as she just pushed him onto his back and amorously continued to attack his neck and mouth. It was erotic as hell, and combined with her sheer magnetic presence and affectionate demeanor, he was very soon raring to go once more.

 

Rolling her under him, he reached out to cup one of her small but sensitive breasts. She arched eagerly into his hand, looking at him with heavy lidded passion.

 

“Ya insatiable minx,” he chided huskily. “You’re lucky that I love ya.”

 

His unabashed and very casual declaration of affection made her flush in reaction. Even after all this time, she was still not quite sure how to handle his verbal avowal of love for her. He was obviously waiting for her reply though, and she at last, very reluctantly, did so, her cheeks glowing red with embarrassment.

 

“Ya the only one I’m makin’ love with,” she muttered, trying at the same time to look anywhere else but at him. “Of course I want as much of ya as I can get.”

 

Her awkward reply was kind of endearing, and he also knew that she was still feeling a bit insecure and anxious after their one year separation, hence her increased physical need for him.

 

“Ya can just tell me right off the bat that ya love me too, ya know,” he told her almost teasingly, and she just turned a brighter shade of red.

 

“S-Shut up already, dumbass!”

 

* * *

** Omake **

 

It was a while later, when they were both utterly spent from the acts of their lovemaking and the night was long silent, that Hiyori suddenly remembered her prior discussion with Lisa.

 

The female Vizard lifted her head from her lover’s chest and spoke, rousing the other blonde from his light doze.

 

“Hey baldy, let’s go ‘ta a love hotel next time. It looks interestin’.”

 

Unsurprisingly, Shinji quickly came awake at her innocuous but completely unexpected remark, an incredulous look on his face as he swiveled his head down to stare at her.

 

“ _What?!!_ ”

 

Hiyori looked mildly surprised at his flabbergasted expression – this was strange.

 

“Lisa said that you’d bring me.”

 

Of course. He should have known.

 

“Lisa, huh?” Shinji muttered, sounding a bit vexed now. Just what on earth was the other Vizard teaching his brat? “Do ya even know what a love hotel is for, Hiyori?” he demanded to know next.

 

Hiyori shrugged slightly. “I saw the pictures in Lisa’s manga. She said that it’s a playground, but for adults. I’ve never been ‘ta a playground for adults before.”

 

She sounded way too interested for his peace of mind.

 

“You better not have,” he retorted exasperatedly in response to her comment. When she started to frown slightly at him, he sighed and explained to her what people did in love hotels.

 

“Oh.” There was a brief pause as she digested the information. “Well, can we still go?”  

 

“ _Hiyori_!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Well, I hope this chapter pleased at least a few of you. I definitely had fun writing it, and I hope that it was worth the wait for you guys.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

FYI, according to Wikipedia, before Jazz (the music genre) was invented, the word ‘Jazz’ used to be associated with/mean sex. In fact, Jazz (the music genre) was named thusly because of its sexy sounds.

 

Well, I can’t object to that – one more reason why Shinji’s just oh so irresistible, huh?

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

New arc again in the next chapter – we will be going back in time once more, so please look forward to it!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Nothing else to add – hope you lot enjoyed this chapter!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, this is irrelevant to the chapter (or the storyline), but I’d like to advertise the fact that I’m looking for a Hiyori to roleplay with my Shinji on my RP blog. There will likely be some smut amongst other scenes, and you lot have quite obviously already read samples of my writing, so I’m hoping that I might find interested parties here. ShiYori’s such an obscure pairing, and it’s hard enough to click with fellow fans, let alone fellow fans who are also willing to write. And come on, you guys, I know that some of you following me over here are definitely writers as well.

 

If you’re interested to learn more, please, _please_ , drop me a PM – don’t be shy, I’m really friendly and I don’t bite, haha.

 

My poor Shinji is feeling pretty lonely without his Hiyori, after all. Do put him out of his misery. =p

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	21. Pre-Series Interlude: Fade to Black

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3761

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 22/08/13

**Completed on:** 24/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 05/10/13

 

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Fade to Black**

* * *

 

It had been a year since they were exiled to the Living Realm, twelve months since they narrowly escaped execution from Soul Society, fifty two weeks since they had been betrayed, and three hundred and sixty five days since they had been turned into the monsters that they had always been trained to kill. 

 

By now, the optimistic hope that their Hollowfied condition could be reversed was quickly waning. Some days they could barely keep their Inner Hollows in check, and it was a constant struggle not to give in to the increasing rage and fury that was just _boiling_ under the thin veneer of their fake skins, tempting them to lose control and just let go and watch the world burn. Urahara was still doing his best to find a way to _fix them_ , racing against the clock as he tried to figure out just why they were all still so unstable despite the Hogyoku already working to completely halt any further Hollow transmutation, but none of them even knew if they could ever be _fixed_.  

 

And even if they were, what would they do? Where would they go? They were the castaways, abandoned and discarded. They would never be allowed to return to Seireitei.

 

Now, they were the monsters of the worst kind. The sickening, disgusting kind that hid themselves in the shape of humans, mingling with the Living who remained completely clueless and oblivious to the unhinged, unspeakable terrors that walked amongst them.

 

Reviled. Hated. Feared.

 

Nothing would ever be the same again.

 

No, what had happened to them was not something that could be easily fixed, and they all knew it, deep inside their hearts. They were just prolonging the inevitable by pretending not to see the truth, and really, it was no surprise that after one year of intentional self-deception, most of them were already thoroughly sick of their situation.

 

Neither here nor there. Unable to move forward, yet also not allowed to turn back. Stuck. Limbo.

 

It was well past time for them to face stark reality, re-gather the shattered pieces of their lives, and move on.  

 

That was what they should be doing, in theory.

 

But none of them could quite bring themselves take that excruciating first step, to shed their last fraying ties to the Land of the Dead, and embrace Life instead. Soul Society, Seireitei and the Goteijusantai were what they had always known, and the world of the Living was unexpectedly huge and intimidating, _foreign_. Even after a year of exile in this alien dimension, there were a lot of things that still stumped and shocked them, and it was completely disorienting, to say the least.

 

They were all old Souls, used to living long lives that saw little to no changes in their routines, and suddenly having to adapt to the extremely fast pace of humans was…incredibly difficult to take in, to say the least.

 

It was the dawn of the Meiji Era, and the Industrial Revolution was just beginning, ushering in a new age the likes of which Japan had never seen before. Foreigners from the West were arriving in droves, bringing with them their strange gaijin culture, technology and knowledge. It was complete chaos, and it was the perfect opportunity to integrate themselves into the human society.

 

Yoruichi had also recently sent word over that the Gotei 13 had already called off the search for them – in the eyes of Seireitei, they had ceased to exist.

 

Life went on.

 

Change was inevitable.

 

One day, Shinji simply walked into the common living area of the small machiya that they were holing up in and affirmed what they all already knew.

 

“I just spoke ‘ta Kisuke; our problem’s gonna take a little longer ‘ta fix, so we’ll all be hangin’ ‘round here for a while. Sorry.”

 

It was short, sweet and concise, and no one was quite surprised by his verdict, even though hearing the verbal confirmation was upsetting all the same. What really astonished them, however, was Shinji’s appearance. The ex-Captain was clad in a simple cotton yukata like what most of them were wearing, but that was not what had dumbfounded them.

 

Kensei closed his eyes and looked away, immediately recognizing Shinji’s deed for what it clearly was, turning his attention to distracting Mashiro who was already wailing to go back to Seireitei.

 

The others were speechless, and then there was Hiyori, who froze with disbelief at first, before she silently started to shake.

 

Shinji continued to talk, deliberately disregarding the looks that he was getting from his fellow ex-Shinigami.

 

“We’ve been observin’ the humans long enough to emulate their customs with reasonable accuracy, so there shouldn’t be any problem assimilating into their society-”

 

“What did ya do, Shinji,” Hiyori cut him off abruptly then, hissing softly like an angry rattlesnake. “ _What the fuckin’ hell did ya do_.”

 

Shinji ignored the increasingly agitated girl and kept right on speaking.

 

“Kisuke has some contacts who will help us get settled; I think we should keep our heads down for a while-”

 

“ _Damn hage_ ,” Hiyori roared then, raw fury percolating her voice as she stood up from the floor where she had been sitting earlier. The others remained silent, and even Mashiro’s tantrum stopped abruptly at the dangerous flare of reiatsu that radiated intensely from the small, golden-haired female in their midst. “Your _hair_. _Where’s the rest of your goddamn fugly hair_.”

 

He had left earlier that morning looking like his usual idiotic self. But now, he had returned to them missing at least two feet of his hair – the same long silken, golden strands that he was so utterly vain about – and he was behaving as if there was nothing out of the ordinary at all. The implication of what he had done was immense. She could not stand it at all. How dare he. _How fucking dare he_.

 

Shinji reached up and absently touched the tips of his newly shortened hair. Something in his deceptively calm, neutral eyes darkened, before it slipped away behind a veil of maddening nonchalance. He shrugged casually, but the look on his face was unreadable. “Aa. I decided ‘ta cut it. Looks good, doesn’t it? I think short hair fits me very well-”

 

The small pigtailed blonde was right in front of him in an instant, and before he could complete his stupid sentence, she jumped him and nailed him straight across the face with a mean right hook. The force of the blow was powerful enough to check him bodily out of the living area and send him smashing right through the wooden walls of the building with a god awful crash. He landed roughly in the backyard of the house that they were temporarily staying in, but not before completely messing up the decrepit vegetable garden that Hachi and Rose were attempting to cultivate with little success.

 

It was fall and it was pouring outside; his clothes were immediately soaked by the rain, and he could feel mud seeping into the back of his yukata where he was lying on the ground, just as surely as the side of his cheek was aching sharply from Hiyori’s fierce attack. She had probably fractured his cheek with that one single hit since he had not bothered to shield himself from it at all, and even now, he could still sense her raw anger as she swiftly approached him – this was not over yet.

 

The muted sounds of her zori sandals slapping against the muddy ground stopped abruptly, and her shadow fell over his face as she stood over him. She was the only one who had come out after him; the others were wise enough not to interfere. She was also getting rapidly drenched just like he was, the cold rain seeping into her clothes and turning her flaxen hair into a darker shade of gold. Water ran down her face in swift rivulets, and despite the wet and miserable weather, her ochre eyes burned with ferocity as they met his, and her hands were clenched into little fists by her side.

 

“Get up,” she bit out at last. “Get the hell up right now, ya lousy piece of shit.”

 

He just looked up at her blankly. “You’re gonna have ‘ta mend that hole in the wall later,” he merely remarked all too calmly in return, and her face visibly darkened with rage. 

 

“Cut the crap,” she hissed. “The fuck are ya tryin’ ‘ta pull, huh? Tell me; _what the fuck are ya tryin’ ‘ta pull_?!!”

 

Just the sight of him right at the moment pissed her off badly and made her so furious that she could spit nails. His hair had been shortened so drastically that it barely reached his jawline now, and even though mud-streaked and disheveled from his impromptu flight and subsequent roll in the garden, she could easily picture how he had cut it himself - gathered all that long hair of his that he was so proud of and then callously slicing it off at the nape to attain that sort of abrupt, choppy appearance.

 

There was only one reason why someone as immaculate and fastidious as him would do something so utterly incomprehensible like this. He was a warrior first and foremost - hair had always been a traditional symbol of pride and personal honor.

 

_And for a warrior to ritually cut off that much of his hair—_

 

The realization hurt her, made her feel like she was going to be wholly and utterly sick.

 

Her shaking knees started to give way, and she slowly and silently sank into a kneeling position beside him in the rain. He stared at her for the longest time. She was no longer paying him any attention, but the look of grief that crossed her face haunted him, and as much as he wanted to close his eyes and look away, he willed himself not to do so. Immense guilt threatened to choke him, just like it had been slowly suffocating him for the past year or so. It had been his responsibility to watch Aizen and keep him in check, and he had failed. If only he had realized what was going on earlier. If only he had not arrogantly underestimated the sheer and utter depth of his traitorous subordinate’s daring ambition. If only he had paid more attention.

 

_If only._

 

It was his fault. His mistake. And now, they were all paying for it.

 

Today, Kisuke had confirmed for certain the worst case scenario – this was not something that could be fixed instantly. They were looking at decades – centuries, even – before anything could be done to begin to correct this injustice. For his critical oversight, his grave error in judgment, he owed them all an apology, an answer, and even though whatever he could say would _never_ be enough, this was better than nothing.

 

“I’m _sorry_ ,” he whispered hoarsely, quietly, revealing the first real traces of emotion since their encounter. 

 

Hiyori’s eyes immediately flashed with anger, and she was on him in the blink of an eye, straddling his chest to hold him down, pulling her clenched hand back sharply and slugging him hard in the face again. He grunted, but put up no defense against her violent rage.

 

“ _Shut up_ ,” she yelled as she continued to hit him, pummeling him again and again with small fists of fury. “Shut. Up. You have no right ‘ta say sorry at all, asshole!”

 

His utter lack of a response enraged her further, and she hit him even harder, punching his face in again and again like it was going out of fashion, hard enough that the sickening thuds of flesh meeting flesh could be heard above the dull roar of the rain pouring down from the grey skies above. She broke his nose with her wild blows and she also knocked loose a couple of his teeth, and copious amounts of blood welled up from split lips and ruptured blood vessels, the crimson, viscous fluid mixing with the droplets of water falling overhead, smearing across his face and coating on the back of her fists.

 

But no matter how viciously she attacked him, that empty expression on his face refused to go away, and her heart clenched. It was as if she could feel every single blow that she was raining down on him.

 

_It hurt and_ _she did not know why_.

 

“Why aren’t ya defendin’ yourself?!” she howled at him, even as she was rapidly losing strength and she just kept on carrying through with the motions. The skin over her knuckles was bruised and split open from hitting him so much, spilling her own blood to mix with his; her crimson stained hands bounced off of his face, and then she was clenching the lapels of his yukata, lifting him up slightly and shaking him futilely, drawing her furious face right up to his. “Defend yourself, bastard! Fight me!! Hit me back, damn you!!”

 

But Shinji remained limp and unresisting in her hold, and at last, she just dropped him back onto the mud. And then all the rage was gone, spent, leaving behind nothing but aching emptiness. She was panting hard from her exertions, and she just sat there silently on top of him for the longest time.

 

“Damn you,” she whispered again at last, her tone bitter. “ _This is all your fault_.”

 

That finally drew a response from him. He flinched.

 

Water dripped onto his face, mingled with his blood. Unlike the chilling cold of rain, this was warm. _Tears_.

 

She was hunched over him, her eyes clenched shut, her face red, her expression twisted in agony. Her slight frame shook silently as she cried, and saline flowed down her cheeks to fall on his. She punched him weakly in the shoulder once more, and then she slowly sank down against him, curling into his chest to weep her heart out, her strength utterly spent in her violent emotional outburst.

 

She mourned their loss; things would _never_ go back to the way they used to be – they had to move on. A part of her grieved for him as well, for the crippling remorse she knew that he felt for having failed them, when he, too, was a victim of this entirely sickening set of circumstances. How dare he just lay the blame at his own feet like that?? Who was he to decide that he should take responsibility for what had happened to all of them? She had seen what his guilt had done to him for the last year or so, and his pain was hurting her too.

 

“S-Shinji, ya dumb shit,” she burst out then, furious at him for being such a selfless, self-sacrificing, noble _moron_. “Stupid, stupid, STUPID!! You’re the biggest idiot in the world!!”

 

The small blonde was trying so hard not to cry, but the more she thought of how unfair everything was right now, the harder the tears kept flowing. And him, of all people, just basically laying down his pride and honor for all of them—

 

She could not take it at all – she refused to accept it. His decision made her so angry and upset, and she didn’t know what else to do but to whale on him. It wasn’t going to make him change his mind, but at least it made her feel a bit better.

 

“Why did ya have ‘ta go and do that?!! We’ve other things ‘ta worry ‘bout right now and the first thing ya decide ‘ta do is ‘ta go get a stupid haircut?! Just go ‘ta hell, ya bloody asswipe.”

 

He was frankly bewildered by her response. But she was a trembling ball of upset leaning on him right now, and even though he was a complete mess himself, his first instinct was to comfort her. Slowly, hesitantly, he lifted a shaking hand and laid it on her back. She sniffled noisily at his touch.

 

“Hiyori,” he uttered raspily – it hurt to even talk – and he also had to clear his throat because all the blood from his busted nose was flowing backwards and threatening to obstruct his air passage.

 

“Don’t ‘Hiyori’ me!” she snapped, lifting her head to glare daggers at him, quickly wiping at her watering eyes with the back of her hand as she did so, unmindfully streaking her own cheeks and forehead with their blood. The appeasing sight of his badly bruised and injured face did wonders to soothe her boiling fury, especially since she was the one who had made him bleed and who had put all those wounds on that ugly mug of his in the first place. Hiyori dearly hoped that his entire face swelled up tomorrow and he looked as stupid as he was behaving right now.

 

“Ya think just cutting yer hair like some overdramatic little princess is enough ‘ta atone for this?! Take some damn responsibility!! I’m not gonna forgive ya until ya make it all right again, do ya understand, ya damn baldy?” she demanded with utter ferocity. “So stop lookin’ like a fuckin’ whipped puppy – we ain’t dead yet and we haven’t lost this fight! You can continue ‘ta act like a little bitch all ya want, but I’m not going down like this!!”

 

She was still rambling on angrily, but it finally began to dawn on him what she was saying.

 

Shinji’s previously dull expression slowly sharpened, and he looked at the girl sitting on top of him with wonder.

 

“You’re not angry, brat?” he asked carefully. She gave him an incredulous look and then immediately whacked him upside the head for his stupid question.

 

“Look at my face, hage Shinji,” she scowled. “Do I look ‘not angry’ ‘ta ya?! ‘Cause if ya really think so, then somethin’s wrong with yer fuckin’eyes! I’m angry!! I’m mad as hell!! I’m so fuckin’ angry-”

 

“But not at me,” he interrupted, still sounding surprised by his own discovery. “You’re not angry at me.”

 

Hiyori glared futilely at him. He looked so stumped that it immediately made her feel like hitting him again – because he was so _stupid_.

 

“You’re a moron,” she mumbled at last. “Only a moron would get angry with another moron,” she declared decisively, never mind that she had certainly been quite upset earlier when she was beating up on him. “I’m savin’ all my anger for that damn Aizen teme. The next time I see that douchebag, I’m gonna deck him so good, _he’ll be cryin’ for his mama for the next one hundred years_.”

 

This time, the tone of her voice turned audibly dark with such seething hatred that her reiatsu spiked with incredible amounts of bloodlust. Her catlike eyes darkened dangerously – her Inner Hollow, not entirely subdued yet and therefore never too far beneath the surface, was threatening to emerge and take over at the soonest opportunity provided by her volatile temperament.

 

Shinji looked at the smaller female sharply. “Hiyori,” he spoke her name simply but firmly, quickly snapping her out of it.

 

The petite blonde shook her head fiercely, struggling to reign in her unstable emotions. “I know,” she barked roughly. “Ya don’t need ‘ta remind me.”

 

She climbed off of the larger male then, clambering unsteadily to her feet. The rain had subsided to a light drizzle by now. She looked down at him irritably. “How long are ya gonna keep lying there like some angst ridden, misguided hero in those stupid novels that Lisa likes ‘ta read? Is your head not outta your ass yet? I’ll be happy to beat some more sense into ya if I have ‘ta,” she threatened rather convincingly, which was quite a feat since she looked rather bedraggled and waterlogged at the moment, and appeared about as intimidating as a drowned rat.

 

He really wasn’t in the position to point fingers himself, since he probably looked worse off than her right now – he certainly felt that way. Taking heed of Hiyori’s warning tone, Shinji slowly pushed himself upright as well, pinching the bridge of his nose and tilting his head back gingerly in an attempt to stop the insistent blood flow from his nasal passageways. His whole face felt extremely raw and bruised, his jaw was aching like it was dislocated, and he could only imagine what he looked like at the moment, after being subjected to the brat’s tender mercies.

 

“I’m up, I’m up,” he muttered, sounding slightly disgruntled. He touched his face gingerly with his fingers and his digits came away completely bloodied. Damn. She had really messed him up. “I can’t believe ya really went ahead and hit me so hard.”

 

Hiyori crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed.

 

“I can’t believe we have such a complete and utter moron for a leader,” she retorted back in a significantly unimpressed and uncomplimentary fashion. She jerked her thumb sharply back towards their temporary lodging. “Ya wanna go back and explain your idiocy to them? ‘Course they’re all still waitin’ for ya.”

 

“Now?” he sounded vaguely horrified. “Lookin’ like this?”

 

Yes, the dumbass was definitely back to normal, if he was worrying about stupid shit again.

 

Hiyori’s eyes narrowed dangerously.

 

“Don’t push your luck, baldy. I kicked ya all the way out here; I can kick ya all the way back in too.”

 

That got him on his feet quickly enough, and he held his hands out in surrender as he did so.

 

Shinji looked at the smaller blonde in a sobering manner.

 

“Is this really alright?”

 

It was pretty obvious what he was asking about.

 

Hiyori glowered at him. “Shut up, dumbass. Don’t keep using us as an excuse ‘ta feel sorry for yourself. I’m gettin’ real sick of seein’ ya mope around. From now on, yer gonna get smacked real good every time ya start actin’ so stupid.”

 

It was her special way of telling him that they were all in this together – and to stop guilt tripping himself before she did it for him in a much more painful manner. It was just like her to be brutal and exacting in her kindness, and maybe that was exactly what he needed.

 

Shinji reckoned that he was going to require more servings of helpful reminders from her in the future. She was surprisingly merciful in this instance, certainly more so than he deserved. He quickly found himself appreciating her forceful yet stabilizing presence.

 

“Fair enough,” he told her quietly as he followed her back into the house.

 

“I’ll hold ya ‘ta it, then.”

 

* * *

** Omake #1 **

 

The next morning, Hiyori scowled at the idiot who had just cornered her in the hallway and tried to make herself look even bigger by puffing herself up slightly.

 

“What? What do ya want now?” she demanded defensively, eying the damn baldy. It was obvious that Hachi must have had taken pity on him and cast some healing Kido on him, for he no longer looked like he had just been run over by an ox wagon. His face was still a riotous myriad of blues, purples, greens and yellows, but his broken nose had been corrected and he was no longer bleeding all over the place like he had the previous day, and most of the swelling had also subsided. There was nothing that could be done for his hair though – he had trimmed it to be as neat and as straight as his previous style, only it was obviously much shorter now, and just looking at it made Hiyori’s agitation stir once again.

 

He lifted out his hand that he had been hiding in the long, opposing sleeve of his yukata and held it out to her palm up, as if asking for something. “Gimme your hand,” he instructed by way of reply, and she looked at him like he was crazy.

 

“ _No_. What are ya now, a perv?” she muttered even as she deliberately hid her hands behind her back. “Go away. I don’t wanna look at yer dumb face.”

 

She made to stalk past him but his hand snapped out at the last moment to catch her arm, long fingers wrapping around her wrist and pulling her to a stop before she could go anywhere. He brought her smaller limb up to his line of sight, and hissing like an offended cat, she tried to pull herself free but to no avail. He was too strong, and no matter how loudly she swore at him, he simply ignored her and turned her arm until he could see the back of her hand.

 

Her knuckles were bruised and swollen, staring back at him in an angry shade of mottled purple red. The skin over it was split, revealing raw, semi-scabbed flesh, and even as he held her wrist still, her hand was trembling finely from the trauma. His golden eyes immediately flew up to meet her stubborn, defiant ones.

 

“Why didn’t ya go ‘ta Hachi ‘ta get yourself fixed?” he asked rather seriously. He had no doubt that her other hand was just as bad as the one he was holding right now.

 

She scowled at him and looked away. “I don’t need any fixin’,” she insisted obstinately. “Lemme go, damn baldy – _ow_!! _Fuck!!_ ”

 

He simply pressed down firmly on one of her sore knuckles to prove her wrong, and then simply watched her as she turned pale and started to swear.

 

“Did ya break your knuckles?” he asked. “Be honest, Hiyori, or I’ll find out myself.”

 

Looking very unhappy, she sullenly shook her head. “No, I didn’t.”

 

He continued to look at her very skeptically. She squirmed inwardly under his stare, but she still tried to play it cool. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

 

He lifted his brow, and at last, she could not take it anymore. “Alright, yes! Your stupid mug was so hard I broke my hands on it, happy now?!” she snapped and quickly tried to pull her arm back again, but he wasn’t letting go. Instead, he just turned around and headed towards the men’s quarters where their resident Kido expert was, dragging the protesting girl with him along the way.

 

“Hage Shinji, what are ya doin’!! Release me, bastard!!”

 

“We’re gonna get your hands fixed right now, brat,” he told her, pulling her into the room where Hachigen and Rose were currently having a discussion with each other. The two men looked up at their entrance.

 

“Hachi, please take a look at Hiyori’s hands. The ‘lil idiot broke them yesterday but didn’t deem it important ‘ta have it healed right away.”

 

Hiyori was immediately incensed. “Don’t call me an idiot, ya big idiot!!” She was also trying to squirm away from him but was having little progress in that endeavor. “Leggo of me or I’m gonna hit ya, I swear ‘ta god!”

 

He was unfazed by her threats as he hauled her right up to Hachi. “Nice try, but I doubt ya can even hit a fly right now,” he retorted in a calm manner that seemed to piss her off even more. “But ya may properly hit me again once ya get your hands fixed.”

 

Hachi exchanged a bewildered glance with Rose, who looked just as perplexed. Here they were watching the odd, squabbling pair going at it again; Shinji – who had received a rather fierce beating from Hiyori yesterday – was now dragging said girl over to mend the wounds that she had apparently accumulated in the process of carrying out the aforementioned beating, while at the same time placating her short temper by promising to let her smack him around again if she submitted herself to healing Kido.

 

“Isn’t this going to be a vicious cycle, though?” Hachi murmured to his companion, looking rather bemused. Rose shrugged slowly, still eyeing the other two blondes with idle interest.

 

“Perhaps this is the norm for them? They do seem to communicate rather well in this strange manner.”

 

It was no surprise that rumors eventually began to spread around amongst the Vizards regarding Shinji’s certain proclivity for… _pain_. The fact that he never retaliated against Hiyori whenever she beat on him would just further support this hypothesis. By the time Shinji realized what all the other Vizards thought of him – their perverted, closet masochist of a leader – it was already far too late to change their opinion, much to his everlasting chagrin.

 

 

* * *

** Omake #2 **

 

Hiyori’s eyelid twitched as she stared at Shinji’s head. The longer she looked at the dumbass, the more agitated she became, until her reiatsu was stirring with warning and even the man in question was noticing the way she was giving him the evil eye.

  
“What did I do now?” he asked warily, keeping the small blonde in view at all times in case she suddenly decided to attack him.

 

“Your hair pisses me off,” she snapped irritably then, and he sighed.

 

“Give it a rest already, will ya?” the ex-Captain replied. “It’s been a month – you should have gotten used ‘ta it by now.”

 

“I can’t help it that your dumb hair pisses me off,” the female Vizard muttered uncharitably, much to his increasing exasperation.

 

“My hair can’t be always pissin’ ya off,” he tried to reason with her. “Ya used ‘ta say that I looked ugly with long hair, so this should be an improvement, right?”

 

“Yeah, ya definitely looked ugly with long hair,” she agreed with him. “But now ya also look stupid with short hair. Some improvement. You should just go bald already, hage.”

 

Shinji twitched.

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Well, this arc is a pretty short one, so we will be going back to the present time in the next chapter. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this all the same.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

I have always wondered why Shinji was so passive whenever Hiyori was beating him up – he certainly wasn’t like that at all during the ‘Turn Back The Pendulum’ arc. Back then, whenever she hit him, he would usually at least retaliate in some way or another. After they were exiled though, he simply became even more accepting of his ‘role’ as her designated punching bag. Of course, he still snarks back at her and spars with her verbally, but notice how he doesn’t really ‘fight’ back anymore, at least not in the physical sense?

 

Well, so this is my hypothesis of why that is so. Hiyori smacks him around every time he’s being stupid (or when she simply feels like it), and to her, feeling guilty and moping over something that wasn’t his fault in the first place definitely counts as ‘incredibly, unbelievably stupid.’ Shinji lets her because he really needed those reminders to center himself, painful as they were, and then, well, over time, certain feelings started to develop, he grew more affectionate of her – and after that, there was really no more possibility of him bullying her back anymore.

 

…you can ignore the last part if you want. That’s probably just me with my shipping goggles on, haha.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, Shinji’s hair. Out of all the Vizards, Shinji’s hairstyle was the one that had altered the most drastically. It might simply have been an aesthetic choice on his part, but seeing how much he prized his hair, I have serious doubts on that theory.

 

So here’s my more dramatic take on it. All Shinigami are swordsmen, and traditional Japanese swordsmen, referred to as kenshin, follow Bushido, also known as the Way of the Warrior, the moral code of the Samurai.

 

For Samurai, their hair (or rather, topknot) is a source of honor and personal pride. To have it forcibly cut off by an enemy is akin to symbolic castration (a very, _very_ disrespectful act), but on the other hand, voluntary removal is considered a renouncement of title, social status, and pride. It’s still really shameful, laying out one’s own pride like that, but it can also be seen as an act of atonement.

 

I might have exaggerated it a little, but I do believe that Shinji would feel great responsibility for what had happened to the other Vizards, and this was one way of him showing his remorse for failing to keep Aizen in check.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

And that’s all I have for this chapter! Until next time!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	22. My Lover the Cat - Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2860

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 25/08/13

**Completed on:** 26/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 12/10/13

 

* * *

**My Lover the Cat – Part I**

* * *

 

**i. Cats Love with Sleeping. As sleep champs, felines typically sleep up to 16 hours a day. Because they are most vulnerable during sleep, the place your cat chooses to snooze must be a secure and trusted location. There is no greater loving compliment than a cat choosing your lap for a favorite sleep spot.**

 

She slunk into his office one day, when he was alone and his Fukutaichou was out attending a meeting with the other Lieutenants.

 

Shinji had been pleasantly surprised by his lover’s appearance – she had made no mention of the fact that she was coming to Seireitei to visit - and he was always happy whenever she made an effort to enter this realm to see him, which was still quite rare considering her existing prejudice and wariness against Soul Society. Setting his calligraphy brush down on the ink stone, he was about to stand up to greet her when she hastened her pace and reached him first, and then, without a word whatsoever, she simply slid onto his lap and kept him in his seat.

 

Shinji looked down at the small female quietly cuddling up against him with slight bemusement. Not that he was complaining, but it wasn’t often that she would come up to him like that and demonstrate such affection. Leaning back into his chair, he wrapped his arms around her waiflike form and simply held her, and she relaxed further, her hands coming up to grab fistfuls of his kosode even as she pressed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, curling into him and luxuriating in his soothing scent and masculine warmth.

 

Her small shoulders heaved slightly as she sighed in contentment, and she quickly drifted off in a light doze, lulled by his steady and calm presence. He glanced down at her, his golden eyes gentle with fondness, and then he tilted downwards and tenderly kissed the crown of her light blonde head. She did not even stir, and after a brief moment of watching her sleep, he picked up his brush again and started to work on his paperwork anew, careful not to jostle the petite young woman napping against him. 

 

Half an hour later, the light footsteps of Momo-chan could be heard along the engawa corridor outside, and his Lieutenant hurried into the office, looking a bit frazzled as she did so.

 

“I’m sorry, Hirako Taichou! The meeting ran a bit late because there was an accident with Kusajishi Fukutaichou and – _oh_.” The dark-haired female abruptly stopped her profuse explanation to her superior when she finally noticed the splash of bright red resting against the blonde man. “S-Sarugaki-san!”

 

Shinji lifted his index finger to his lips and silently shushed the surprised female. Momo quickly nodded her understanding, and then she made a conscious effort to be as quiet as possible as she stole over to her desk, settling behind it as she placed the files she carried with her on the surface. Momo snuck a look at her Captain and his significant other, blushing slightly at the intimate sight of the bonded couple.

 

It would seem at first that the two were complete opposites and rather incompatible as lovers went, but then again, when one looked closer, there appeared to be an intangible bond between the two that drew them together. It was pretty obvious in the way Hirako Taichou was openly affectionate towards the smaller Vizard in a manner that was purely reserved for her, and Sarugaki-san would also become markedly less tense and edgy when she was around her partner, like a wild, wary feline that would only relax in trust around its mate. The imaginations of Momo’s inner romantic took flight and the Lieutenant had to bite back a small girlish giggle even as she silently gave her well wishes and blessings to the rather unconventional pair – it was wonderful that her Captain had found someone to love, and it was also clear that he truly adored his other half, judging by the amount of care and attention he gave to her.

 

“Hirako Taichou,” Momo whispered softly then, catching the lanky blonde’s attention. She smiled kindly at her superior. “I think I can finish up here on my own. Why don’t you take Sarugaki-san back to the barracks so she can rest properly?”

 

Shinji glanced at the clock. It was only four in the afternoon, and he usually only knocked off around six. He shook his head. “It’s alright, Momo-chan. Hiyori will probably wake soon enough, and besides, I need ‘ta finish this work today.”

 

Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the pigtailed Vizard started to stir and return to consciousness after her brief nap, a quiet, reluctant little exhalation escaping her as her lashes slowly fluttered open, revealing sleepy ochre eyes as she stared dazedly at the unfamiliar surroundings, still disoriented from just waking up. She eventually regained enough of her bearings and slowly pushed away more from her lover’s chest, and Shinji briefly stopped what he was doing, leaning back against his chair to give her more space to maneuver about. “Finally up, brat?” he asked quietly, and she just yawned slightly, flashing her small pink tongue and cute little fang in the process, and absently rubbed at her eyes.

 

“Erm, hello, Sarugaki-san,” Momo greeted in a cautiously amicable manner at the distracted female from the opposite desk and eventually received a groggy blink of acknowledgement in return. Then, without speaking to anyone, the petite female silently slipped off of her lover’s lap and absently wandered back out of the office, leaving the two Fifth Division officers to stare after her departure.

 

Shinji just shook his head bemusedly and simply returned to his paperwork. This was as much of a quiet afternoon as he could expect when it came to his brat, and he knew better than to question what had led to it. Momo could not help herself – she smiled once again and clapped her hands with delight when she realized something.

 

“Sarugaki-san’s like a little kitty!” the dark-haired Lieutenant pointed out with charmed enthusiasm. “How adorable!”

 

Her Captain winced inwardly at the A-word. “Please, Momo-chan, please don’t ever call her that right to her face. You’re a good Lieutenant with a fairly level head on yer shoulders – I’d hate ‘ta lose ya ‘ta an unfortunate accident, alright?”

 

 

* * *

**ii.** **Cats Love with Gifting. Mighty hunter cats that catch everything from toys to bugs, mice or frogs, often share the bounty with those they love. Kitties who present you with this bounty deserve praise. They wouldn’t bring these special gifts if they didn’t love you.**

 

When Shinji returned to his living quarters in the evening, he could smell the mouthwatering aroma of a home cooked meal wafting out from the kitchenette attached to his private rooms. It was a definite sign of Hiyori’s presence, because there was no one else he knew (except for perhaps her mentor, Kirio-san) who could cook as well as she did, and besides, no one in his division was quite random (or brave) enough to break into their Captain’s housing just to use his kitchen, of all things.

 

Shinji himself was not the most accomplished cook. As someone who was living alone, he could manage quick and simple dishes like fried rice and miso soup well enough, but they weren’t really anything remarkable compared to what his lover could whip up with unbelievably deceptive ease - and sometimes with the most random ingredients that would have made other people throw their hands up to and give up on using. However, despite her natural affinity for the culinary arts, she did not choose to enter the kitchens often, so he was pretty surprised that she was making the effort today.

 

The Gobantai Taichou went to his bedroom and shrugged off his white haori and vest, stashing them on a wall hanger and leaving only the basic black shihakusho on. Then, he also released the sheathed Sakanade from the sash around his waist and set his zanpakuto on the sword stand beside his bed. Taking a moment to visit the bathroom to refresh himself, he wandered back out to the living area and into the kitchen to finally investigate the source of the delicious scent.

 

He promptly came face to the face with a freshly decapitated deer head sitting on his kitchen counter, complete with antlers, fuzzy fur, ears, cute black tipped nose, and wide open, accusing eyes.

 

Shinji swore in surprise and nearly took a step back; whereas he had definitely seen much scarier things before, he hadn’t exactly been expecting to meet Bambi (albeit just the head) on his table. His startled exclamation immediately announced his presence to Hiyori, who wore an apron over her clothes and was standing by the sink (she had to use a small footstool in order to increase her reach over the counter) with an ominously bloodstained cleaver in hand as she prepared the meat.

 

“Bloody hell,” the golden-haired Shinigami muttered as he looked warily between his lover and the deer head. The rest of the animal had already been expertly skinned, gutted and cleaned, neatly butchered and separated into different cuts until there was nothing that remotely resembled a torso. Hiyori turned her attention back to swiftly and efficiently cutting paper thin slices of meat from the piece of venison tenderloin that she was working on.

 

“We’re havin’ nabe tonight,” she informed him shortly. “Teriyaki and yaki udon for sides, too.”

 

It was pretty obvious what meat they would be using for the hotpot, the grilled dish, and the fried noodles.

 

“Where on earth did ya get the deer?” he immediately blurted out, still pretty flabbergasted by what he was seeing.

 

She glanced at him again and then shrugged with casual nonchalance. “There’s a surge in deer population in the outskirts of Karakura. The forest wardens are encouragin’ huntin’ ‘ta bring the numbers down.”

 

Shinji immediately caught the implications of her words.

 

“So ya caught a deer and brought it all the way ‘ta Seireitei from the Living Realm?” He sounded rather incredulous.

 

Once again, she shrugged with practiced indifference, though he was not buying her act whatsoever. The little wench was obviously very proud of herself for her deed.

 

“Winter’s the best time for eatin’ nabe,” she stated simply. “And I wanna eat nabe.”

 

She could have easily had the hot pot with the other Vizards back in Karakura, but she had chosen to haul an entire deer carcass back to Soul Society instead, _to him_. The implications were rather unavoidable, and suddenly, he couldn’t quite seem to mind her rather grisly gift when she was being _so damn sweet_.

 

“Alright. Okay,” he told her wryly at last even as he reached into a drawer to withdraw two thin strips of cloth which he quickly used to tie back his sleeves and keep them out of the way, revealing his toned biceps along with the rest of his sleek and muscular arms. “But I really don’t think that we can eat this much meat, brat.”

 

“I don’t care,” she told him as he drew up to her to offer his assistance. “Give the rest ‘ta your underlings or whatever.”

 

He reached out and framed her small face with his large but narrow hands and, taking advantage of her preoccupation with the raw steak, leaned in and kissed her deeply on the mouth. She stiffened at first before she slowly relaxed into the exchange, and when he pulled back minutes later, she was already looking slightly flushed, staring back at him with glowing ochre eyes. He smiled.

 

“I love ya too, ya know that right, brat?” he told her easily, and she quickly spluttered, turning bright red with embarrassment.

 

“I just wanna eat nabe,” she snapped in an entirely flustered manner, and he had to bite back a chuckle. Such a cute little tsundere she was.

 

“Yes, yes, nabe it is. What can I help ya with?”

 

She slapped his hand away sharply before he could successfully pinch a piece of teriyaki venison from the plate on the other side of the counter. “Don’t touch my food, dumbass! Go lay out the kotatsu or somethin’.”

 

 

He stole another quick kiss (much to her ruffled indignation) before slipping off to fulfill her demand, this time snickering outright and skillfully dodging the infuriated swing of her cleaver as he did so.

 

“HAGE SHINJI!!”

 

* * *

**iii. Cats Love with their Eyes. A kitty’s eyes are proportionately very large—if human’s eyes were the same proportion, our eyes would be eight inches across! As such, cat eyes are important assets for survival, yet extremely vulnerable. Cats that place their faces and wide open eyes near a human express great trust and love. A slow “eye blink” from across the room is considered a cat kiss.**

 

In the end, there was just so much food to go around that they ended up inviting Kensei, Mashiro, Ichigo and Rukia for dinner as well. The Eighth Division and the Ninth Division were right beside each other, after all, and that made it easier when it came to gathering up the prospective dinner mates in one shot. Shinji had called upon others to join in as well, but the invitation was a rather impromptu one and everyone else either already had plans or had taken their meals.

 

However, even with only three pairs of couples sharing the hotpot around the kotatsu, dinner was still incredibly boisterous and rowdy. They all managed to finish the food that Hiyori had prepared between the six of them though, and eventually dispersed from Shinji’s place a few hours’ later, after enjoying the delicious dinner and excellent company.

 

The Fifth Division Captain returned to his living room after seeing their friends out only to find his lover happily curled half under the table amongst the seat cushions, luxuriating in the heat exuding from the inbuilt radiator and steadily lulled into a meat-induced coma from her earlier heavy and fulfilling meal. The dirty dishes and utensils were already soaking in the sink and could be taken care of later, and so he simply joined her, slipping his long legs under the cozy covers and stretching out beside her. He turned to lie on his side just as she did, and they both faced each other; their eyes met, and then held.

 

His steady, golden gaze simply captivated her, warm and mesmerizing, and it made her own drowsy ochre eyes sharpen slightly with rousing attention as she instinctively responded to his inviting and openly affectionate stare.

 

After a while, Hiyori blinked very slowly, and then she lazily rolled onto her stomach, stretching lightly before belly crawling the short distance between them to close the gap, displacing seat cushions along the way. She parked herself right beside him and brought her face really close to his, languidly peering at him with fascination like he was the most interesting (or perplexing) thing she had ever seen, and she was just dying to figure him out. Since this was not the first time she had done this – she was such a weird little thing – he just stayed still and watched her evenly in return, undaunted by her odd action. He loved her beautiful eyes; they were slightly tilted like a feline’s, almost too big for her small, delicate face, and were so utterly expressive and full of curiosity. Besides, she also only seemed to exhibit this sort of behavior with him, so he chose to take it as a special, Hiyori-esque Look-I-let-ya-so-close-‘ta-me-and-haven’t-clawed-half-yer-face-off-yet sort of backhanded compliment.

 

His brat was just too adorable for her own good sometimes, quirks and all.

 

Then, Hiyori blinked again, the long, dark blonde lashes that framed her glowing eyes sweeping down briefly to fan her freckled cheeks before fluttering open once again, and their shared moment was lost. She started to pull back, but he was unwilling to let her go too far from him yet. Instead, he reached out and dropped an arm over her waist and hips, stalling her movements and blocking her retreat, tugging her to him and rolling onto his back, bringing her along with him to sprawl on his chest.

 

She, surprisingly, did not protest his handling. Her belly was full and she was feeling rather calm and sedated at the moment, and he provided a nice and warm surface to rest on in this chilly climate. She had no complaints and was more than willing to curl up with him for a post dinner nap. He was also rubbing her back in a really slow, soothing manner that made her melt completely into his lean, rangy frame, and tucking her face into his neck, she nuzzled him sleepily before closing her eyes and dozing off, utter contentment oozing from her small, satisfied form.

 

Shinji chuckled softly and simply gathered her close. He turned his head to the side to brush a gentle kiss across her cheek, and then he, too, simply shut his eyes and took his siesta as well.

 

The winter night was quiet and peaceful, and for the snugly entwined pair of lovers, it was simply perfect.

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

This is the start of a new mini-series that will span three chapters. Obviously, this is a kitty-themed arc set in the present timeline, and it is dedicated to my good friend, the lovely Lilithkiss, and her five kitties. =) Even though you’ve read them already, Lilith, this is a shoutout to you!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

I found out by chance that Hiyori’s a Leo in terms of astrology. I did a bit of further reading and also quickly realized that her personality is very much like her star sign. Even though she’s known as the monkey brat (courtesy of her name ‘Saru’ and ‘gaki’), I feel like she’s very much like a cat too, and so here’s my interpretation of kitty!Hiyori.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Fluff and pointless romance in the next couple of chapters, so hang tight!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	23. My Lover the Cat - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2972

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 26/08/13

**Completed on:** 27/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 21/10/13

 

* * *

**My Lover the Cat – Part II**

* * *

  **iv. Cats Love with Rolling. When your cat either drops to the floor and rolls around, or jumps up on your bed or another piece of furniture and does the same, she's trying to get your attention and affection. When a kitty shows her tummy voluntarily, it's only to those she truly trusts and loves.**

 

Winter was truly the most unbearable season of the year for Hiyori.

 

The daylight hours were short and the weather would get so ridiculously chilly that nobody was willing to risk the outside elements longer than necessary. Then, there was the detestable snow to contend with, unnecessary powdery white stuff that was cold and melted all over the place and seeped uncomfortably into her clothes, clogging up the roads and piling up everywhere, blanketing the land in a glaring white landscape that was almost uncomfortable to look at.

 

The humans in the Living realm seemed to really adore it though, and some were even willing to go through all the trouble of making painstaking works of art out of it in the atrocious climate, while others were happy to simply roll around in it, much to the petite blonde’s derision and bewilderment. It was just flakes of crystalline water, and when the spring melt came, it turned to disgusting and slippery, muddy slush that was completely unsightly and impossible to avoid. What was so good about snow again?

 

Winter was also the unofficial season for lovers, or at least it certainly felt that way to Hiyori. It seemed like _all_ the lovebirds in the entirety of Karakura had picked this period of time to emerge from whatever love nests they had been holing up in for the rest of the year just to specifically troll the streets, and everywhere she turned, there would be couples huddling together, faces rosy and their gazes sappy with affection for their partners, holding hands, hugging, kissing, cooing and god knew what else. The overabundance of _love_ hanging around Karakura like the plague irritated Hiyori very much, and in the end, it was the final straw that convinced her to slink off to the Soul realm to take a break from all the lovey-dovey-ness that was running rampant in the human world.

 

Even though it was also winter time in the other dimension, at least Soul Society was still pretty much permanently stuck in ancient times and she didn’t have to put up with public displays of affection being shoved in her face everywhere she turned. Also, the residents in Seireitei mostly tended to be more subdued and low key during the winter months, which made the place a bit more tolerable for her with less Shinigami milling uselessly about and getting on her nerves. For rather obvious reasons, she usually lingered around the Fifth Division most when she visited, sometimes even the Third, the Eight and the Ninth, but it was mostly the baldy’s pad that she kept to, and this time was no different.

 

Unfortunately, Hiyori had woken up that morning in her lover’s bed to the most disagreeable weather outside. There was a fierce storm howling outside and it did not look like it would be abating anytime soon – they were all snowed in for the foreseeable future. Stuck in Shinji’s rooms and with nothing better to do, Hiyori was very quickly remembering just how utterly boring it was to be living in Soul Society during the winter period. 

 

The petite blonde could not believe that she was thinking this, but suddenly, she would rather tolerate Karakura and its endless parade of lovers on the streets as long as she was no longer caught here. It was just very unfortunate that all the Senkaimon had been shut down due to the terrible storm and there was no way out of Soul Society right now, not to mention that Hiyori wasn’t entirely sure that she was willing to brave the snowstorm outside in order to go anywhere. It was barely noon, and already the young woman was nearly bored out of her mind. Shinji’s quarters were pretty basic, all things considered; it had all the bare necessities and little clutter – just the way he liked it. He had neat shelves of books and endless scores of his favorite music, but Hiyori wasn’t really the reading type, and, besides, she found his books on poetry and philosophy utterly dull and uninspiring.

 

There was jazz playing lightly in the background though, and while she wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic fan, it was still better than listening to the relentless howling of the winds outside. Groaning and sinking to the floor in a puddle of extreme boredom, the small Vizard thunked her head against the tatami mat, and she eventually plopped onto her back and tried to occupy herself by counting the number of wooden beams on the ceiling. That didn’t take long to accomplish, and very soon, she had nothing to do again, much to her displeasure.

 

The rustling of paper a few paces away reminded her quite abruptly of the presence of the other occupant in the room. Angling her head slightly, Hiyori saw Shinji sitting by the kotatsu, looking at paperwork that had been sent over by an unfortunate runner a few hours earlier. Files were strewn all over the low table; it seemed that being a Taichou was still as tedious as it had been a century ago, and the bureaucratic responsibilities alone would cripple lesser men. It made Hiyori wonder why Shinji had even bothered taking up the captaincy post once again – he didn’t look like he particularly enjoyed most of the job, and she knew for a fact that he wasn’t a masochist, not really.

 

Then, the pigtailed blonde wondered why she was contemplating her lover’s career choice all of a sudden and promptly concluded that she needed a distraction before she started thinking even more random stuff. Rolling onto her stomach, Hiyori soundlessly crept under the toasty warm kotatsu from the side opposite of Shinji and reemerged the upper half of her body beside him. Then, she flopped onto her back again and just looked up at him expectantly.

 

“What are ya doin’?” Shinji asked bemusedly as he glanced down briefly at her.

 

She shrugged wordlessly, but continued to lay there and just _stare_ at him intently with her feline eyes as he turned back to his documents. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long before the adamant weight of her insistent gaze caused him to completely lose concentration on his work, and with an exasperated sigh, he at last set his brush against the ink stone and shifted his focus to the petite female. 

 

“Yes, brat? Do ya want somethin’ from me?”

 

She shrugged again, looking nonchalant as possible, and he shook his head, inwardly amused by her standoffish demeanor.

 

“C’mere.” He reached for her, and the fact that she did not resist was telling enough.

 

He leaned down to kiss her, brushing his mouth softly against hers at first, before his tongue darted out to slide teasingly against the seam of her lips. The effect was instantaneous, and it was as if he had flipped on a switch in her. She tilted her face up to his, her small hands coming up to cup his jaw, and then she was eagerly attacking his mouth with obvious enthusiasm and passion, dragging him down to the floor to join her.

 

“ _Hiyori_ ,” he groaned out a strangled chuckle when she pinned him down and climbed on top of him instead, showering him with kisses at the same time.

 

“Alright, now ya have my full attention.

 

* * *

**v. Cats Love with Purrs. Her purrs can mean a variety of things, from delight to expressions of concern. And kitty purrs range from soft and subtle to Mack-truck loud. When your cat purrs in your presence, you can be sure she’s expressing her love for you.**

 

Ten minutes later, a rather flustered, still aroused, and unimaginably irritated Hiyori was righting her clothes and swearing under her breath as a deceptively calm, unruffled and half-dressed Shinji stood at the entrance of his private rooms and dismissed his poor, shell shocked, and embarrassed underling. The latter Shinigami, an unranked member of the Fifth Division, had chosen to burst into his Captain’s living quarters with another batch of paperwork at the most inopportune moment, and he would have gotten more than an eyeful of his boss’s lady love if not for said male’s swift reflexes and quick thinking.

 

It was just as well that the Taichou had reacted immediately to the presence of the intruder even in the heat of passion, and had responded promptly by throwing his yelping lover off of him and right under the covers of the kotatsu (it was a good thing that she was so small and travel sized), protecting her modesty and indirectly saving his inept subordinate from at least a decade of latrine cleaning duty. That aside, Hiyori was not a happy camper – they had been nearing the good part when the baldy’s idiotic lackey decided to crash the party, and now she was sexually frustrated but was also feeling way too agitated to want to pick up from where they had left off.

 

By the time Shinji sent off the profusely apologizing and mortified Shinigami (but not before giving the young man a rather sarcastic and strongly worded reprimand focused around the merits of knocking before entering someone’s quarters) and returned to the living room, Hiyori was no longer in sight, having already taken off in a fit of pique. The Fifth Division Captain dropped the new stack of paperwork on the table and then picked up his discarded kosode and shitagi from the floor before simply following the trail of restless energy into his bedroom. He wasn’t surprised that she hadn’t gone far – the snowstorm was still at its zenith outside and therefore her movements were still restricted to the boundaries of his rooms.

 

He found her curled up in a sulky ball on his futon, her back facing the door, her feathers obviously still ruffled by the earlier incident. The golden-haired male was not very perturbed; he hung the top half of his shihakusho and his white under robe on the wall hook before he approached his high strung lover, climbing into bed in only his hakama and coming up from the back to spoon her. She bristled indignantly at his touch, but he ignored her and tugged her slowly to his chest, ducking his head and nuzzling the side of her neck gently as he did so.

  
“Your minion’s a fuckin’ moron,” she muttered bitterly after a while, and he huffed softly by her ear in agreement.

 

“He’s a newbie, and he honestly didn’t mean it,” Shinji replied, his tone wry. “He also apologized for his careless oversight already, so just let it go, brat.”

 

She grunted and was obviously disinclined to agree, but he was pretty good at distracting her, lightly nipping the sensitive shell of her ear even as his hand slipped under the hem of her white tank top to caress the soft skin of her stomach with amorous affection. Hiyori quickly smacked his hand away and twisted around in his arms to scowl at him.

 

“I don’t feel like doin’ it anymore,” she told him grouchily. 

 

“Alright,” he responded simply, respecting her decision and backing off accordingly. As much as he enjoyed making love to her, he wasn’t about to push the issue if she didn’t want it.

 

“But you’re still cold, aren’t ya? Let’s just cuddle for a bit, then.”

 

She stiffened slightly at the C-word, but she did not push him away. The little pigtailed blonde was still a bit touchy, but she submitted to her lover’s embrace, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, tangling their legs together and generously sharing his body heat with her. He was bare chested and he smelled really good, and as usual, his presence and proximity served to pacify her and soothe her short temper. She slowly eased into his hold more and more, becoming less ornery and crabby the longer she stayed in his arms, her head resting against his chest and her eyes closing, gradually lulled into a state of relaxed calm by the strong, steady sounds of his beating heart.

 

He was also stroking her back idly in a way that he knew she liked, and his tender ministrations just made her feel very, very good. It wasn’t long before she was a quiet and boneless mass of contentment curled up against him, shivering slightly from the sheer pleasure of his touch, soft, languid purrs trilling from her throat as he pampered her with his attention. Hiyori arched her back and then pressed herself up against him in an unspoken demand for him to keep going and to not stop, the sounds thrumming from her chest increasing slightly in volume as euphoria assailed her.

 

“More?” he asked huskily against her ear, his blood stirring instinctively at the sounds of her arousing little sighs and moans. She opened glowing ochre eyes to look at his own darkened ones and slowly nodded.

 

He kissed the crown of her flaxen gold head.

 

“As you wish.”

 

* * *

**vi. Cats Love with Kneading. Kneading behaviors—front paw treading on soft surfaces—hearken back to kittenhood. Kitten paws knead against the mother cat’s breasts to induce milk to be released. Adult cats continue the behavior when they’re feeling most relaxed and content and loved, and that’s often when being petted on the owner’s lap. Kneading is an obvious expression of adoration.**

 

The baldy had the most amazing hands in the world, Hiyori decided dazedly as she laid draped on her stomach over his lap and he singlehandedly (pun fully intended) turned her into a pile of Hiyori-flavored jello.

 

It was not the first time that the petite blonde had come to this important conclusion. Even before they had finally gotten together, she had already known that he was very good with his hands, and he gave the best backrubs that she had ever received in the entire span of her long life. The calm steady strokes of his large but narrow hands, the lazy dig and glide of his strong thumbs and fingers, the firm pressure of his palms against the arch of her spine, they all came together perfectly and never failed to turn her into a quivering ball of pleasure.

 

He didn’t often volunteer this service to her though, at least not in the past. She usually had to threaten/browbeat and/or corner/guilt/bribe him into putting his magic hands to good use on her, since he was extremely unwilling to do so for some reason or another. However, his reluctance seemed to have disappeared completely after they became lovers, and now he was always willing to indulge her whenever she asked for a backrub. Come to think of it, his behavior and subsequent change of mind sure was pretty strange.

 

Shinji merely sighed with slight exasperation when she pointed that out to him. 

 

“Hiyori,” he told her in a long suffering but wryly amused tone. “Do ya hear yourself whenever I lay my hands on ya? Every time I give ya a backrub, ya mew and whimper so sweetly that ya tempt me ‘ta use other ways ‘ta make ya melt instead. I’m only a man, luv, and I’m also not _that_ much of a masochist no matter what the others say.”

 

Even as he spoke, his voice was just a tad rougher, tinged with arousal as he continued to touch her, and she squirmed lightly against him with pleasure. “See?” he pointed out when she let out a silky purr. “Touchin’ ya is sweet torture when ya don’t even notice what ya do ‘ta me.”

 

Hiyori rolled onto her back on his lap, displacing his hands and looking up at him. Her fingers drew idle, elaborate patterns on his knee. She was utterly relaxed now and she also appeared to be in a rather affectionate mood as she rubbed his leg in return. The pigtailed Vizard then slowly pushed herself up to sit on his thighs, her small hands sliding up against the hard planes of his abdomen, the firm flesh of his sleek pectorals. She could not seem to stop touching him all of a sudden, and her catlike eyes started to gleam with feminine interest and desire the more she caressed him.

 

She was certainly noticing him now.

 

“Is it still sweet torture now ‘ta touch me?” she asked, partly in curiosity and partly in growing lust.

 

His narrow, golden eyes watched her closely, his pupils dilating ever so slightly at the way she was looking at him.

 

“Always,” he told her, his tone a low, intimate timbre that made the hair at the back of her neck stand up with complete awareness. “You’re gonna be the death of me, brat.”

 

His reply pleased her, and she leaned into him, accepting his embrace. Sensing her receptive demeanor, he slowly ducked his golden head against the side of her exposed throat, lightly nipping and kissing the sensitive flesh there and causing her to tremble faintly with pleasure.

 

“S-Shinji,” she muttered helplessly after a while of his ministrations, pressing close to him even as her hands roved all over his bare torso with increasing restlessness. He was surely driving her as crazy as he claimed she did him. Her eyes were bright with passion, and she arched her small, lithe body into his larger one, rubbing against him in an unmistakably ardent and inviting fashion. He growled lightly at her provocation, and then she turned her head to kiss him deeply on the mouth before suddenly pulling back and looking at him meaningfully and needily.

 

“I think I want ya, _now_.”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

I think by now most of you would have already gotten the gist of the writing style for this particular mini-arc. Yes, it’s actually not a triple-shot, but, rather, a nine-part connected vignette series, with three vignettes bundled together per chapter (wow, that sounded way more complicated than it actually is, haha).

 

Anyway, as always, I hope that you guys enjoyed this one, and my apologies for the lateness!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

For those of you who are dying to know – no, there will be no smut in this mini-series. There will be allusions to intimacy, but because this is a vignette collection (and my smuts tend to be super longwinded for some reason), this will not be one of ‘those’ arcs. =)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

I’m really glad that kitty!Hiyori is so well-received by all of you – she reminds me of a scruffy feral cat sometimes, so I couldn’t help but write her that way.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As mentioned in the previous chapter, this entire ‘kitty’ series is dedicated to my good friend, Lilithkiss. This amazing lady has created some of the most wonderful ShiYori fanarts that I’ve seen, so if any of you’re in need of some cute/sexy/cool ShiYori fix, do consider visiting her tumblr blog – and remember to give her some love too!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	24. My Lover the Cat - Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3101

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 29/08/13

**Completed on:** 29/08/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 10/11/13

 

* * *

**My Lover the Cat – Part III**

* * *

 

**vii. Cats Love with Playing. Kittens play out of pure enjoyment, and many never outgrow playtime. Some cats may actually control the interaction of petting by moving just out of reach—so YOU must go to THEM. Their most favorite playmate typically is a trusted, beloved companion.**

 

Shinji woke hours later to find himself alone in bed, with no Hiyori anywhere in sight. It was already evening, and the temperature was steadily dropping. The snowstorm was still raging outside and showing no signs of abating – it looked like they would be snowed in for at least another evening. The Fifth Division Captain slowly sat up from his futon and stretched languidly, his rangy limbs loose and his demeanor relaxed, the covers falling low over his lean hips, exposing his bare, sleekly muscular torso at the same time.

 

The back of his broad shoulders stung mildly as he moved, reminding him of the presence of the lightly reddened scores left there by his lover earlier in her moment of passion. It was a good thing that Hiyori did not have a habit of keeping her nails long, or his back would be a bloody mess of scratches right now. His neck and chest had also been thoroughly marked by her – wild, frantic love bites that proved that he had satisfied her well, and as such, he was happy to bear the results of her pleasure. He rose from the futon with his usual fluid grace and slipped into the adjoining bathroom to quickly refresh himself. Upon reemerging, he picked up his discarded hakama from the bedroom floor, donning it absently before he left in search of his brat, curious to see what she was up to. It was suspiciously silent in his living quarters – that couldn’t be good as far as she was concerned.

 

Somehow, he wasn’t very surprised to find her in his kitchen, rummaging for food to fill that bottomless pit she called a stomach. She was fresh from a bath, her light blonde hair still wet and hanging unbound around her shoulders. She was also wearing one of his dress shirts, the long sleeves haphazardly rolled up all the way to her elbows, and the fabric was obviously too big on her small frame – on her, the shirt fell all the way to her knees and kept sliding off of her bare shoulders, lending her a charmingly disheveled appearance that was quite sexy to behold. She hadn’t noticed him yet and was intent on raiding his small pantry, getting on her knees on the floor and sticking the upper half of her torso into the modest storage area to investigate for anything remotely edible, and as she strained to reach for something deep within the confines of the cupboard, his shirt rode further up her back and promptly answered an unvoiced question of his – her cute, heart-shaped backside waved about jauntily in the air, seeming to smile back at him and looking quite happy to be free of the restricting constraints of any underwear whatsoever.

 

Shinji simply paused in the doorway, crossing his arms over his chest and admiring the lovely view, watching her antics with exasperated amusement and no small amount of masculine appreciation.

 

Hiyori nearly had a heart attack when she finally pulled her head out from the cabinet with her prizes in hand, jumping a good three feet in the air and cursing up a blue streak when she finally noticed the baldy’s presence.

 

“Goddammit, Shinji!” she swore even as she clutched the bottles of peanut butter and strawberry jam to her chest. “How many times must I tell ya?! Don’t creep up on me like that!!”

 

He shrugged at her and pushed away from the kitchen entrance, sauntering lazily towards her. “S’not my fault that you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings,” he remarked, and she scowled at him slightly before turning back to the counter to continue fixing her sandwich. He came up behind her and took advantage of her preoccupation to slip an arm around her middle, lightly tugging her flush against his front. He was obviously in an affectionate mood still, and he could not seem to get enough of her as his hand slipped under the hem of her shirt and lightly caressed her leg. He also bent down slightly to kiss her ear, nibbling the sensitive shell lightly and then nuzzling her lovingly.

 

“Stop that, dumbass,” Hiyori muttered warningly, even as she tried her best to disregard his ministrations and focus on spreading equal amounts of peanut butter and jam on her bread. Ignoring him was more difficult than she thought possible – when Shinji wanted her full attention, he _always_ got it, though she usually gave it to him in ways that were quite painful and weren’t particularly healthy to his general wellbeing. His mouth brushed against the side of her sensitive neck then, and the butter knife that she was holding quivered as she bit her lips. His large, elegant hand crept higher up her bare thigh, his long fingers drawing lazy patterns on her soft skin. He had a pretty good hold on her so she was unable to escape his attention – at least not without abandoning her food, and he understood her well enough to know that she would never willingly do that, damn him.

 

“Hage,” she growled halfheartedly again, her grip on the butter knife tightening slightly even as her eyes darkened with desire. He ignored her weakening protest and continued to touch and kiss her amorously, though he was quick to dodge when she suddenly tried to stab him with the dull blade, swift as a striking viper.

 

In a flash, Hiyori had her sandwich in her mouth and was taking advantage of the opening he gave her. She immediately slipped past him and took off out of the kitchen, munching on her bread with greedy fervor. The stupid baldy – if he thought he could outmaneuver her so easily, then he definitely had another thing coming! She was absolutely ravenous and –

 

Well, it quickly turned out that he was pretty hungry too, and he was fast enough to catch his dinner before she could run off on him.

 

The petite blonde screeched when a strong arm snaked around her waist and easily lifted her from the ground mid-Shunpo, and then Shinji simply carried her kicking and squirming back to the kitchen.

 

“Shinji!! Shithead, lemme go right now!!” she protested with muffled irritation. Hiyori would have put up a bigger struggle if her hands weren’t occupied with her sandwich and she wasn’t trying to cram as much of it into her mouth as quickly as she could.

 

“Such a selfish girl,” her lover tut-tutted silkily over her head. “Ya didn’t even make one for me.”

 

“Ya have hands!” she retorted, still struggling to be let down. “Make your own damn sandwich!”

 

“Oh, I intend ‘ta do just that.”

 

She was bewildered when he set her back down on the countertop beside the jars of peanut butter and jam that she had left uncapped earlier. Then, he lowered himself onto the floor before her and spread her legs apart, dipping his fingers into the peanut butter and quickly smearing a generous portion of it high up on her inner thigh. She froze and gaped down at him with disbelief when he did the same with her other limb, only with jam this time.

 

Suddenly, it became apparent to her that Shinji was starving for something else altogether. She gazed dumbly at him as he sat back on his haunches and slowly, sensually, licked his long, narrow fingers clean of the spreads, staring right back at her the entire while, his golden eyes glowing with wicked intent.

 

Then, he deliberately placed his large hands on her bare legs, gripping her firmly and holding her open before him.

 

Hiyori quickly forgot about her half eaten sandwich as her heart rate started to speed up, her breathing quickening in response to the naughty, utterly arousing expression on his face.

 

“ _Itadakimasu_ ,” his voice was low, teasing, and deliciously husky.

 

“I’ll be startin’ now.”

 

* * *

**viii. Cats Love with Grooming. Cats spend an enormous amount of time self-grooming. They also groom each other, but shared grooming behaviors only happen between friendly cats. Kitties that groom their human by licking your skin or hair, or even nibbling or sucking on your clothing, indicate great affection. This also spreads her familiar scent and helps mark you as an important part of her family group.**

 

“Ow! Brat, can ya be a bit gentler?” Shinji complained lightly from the ofuro that he was submerged in, while his equally nude lover perched on the edge of the tub, trying rather clumsily to separate the large clumps of peanut butter from his silky hair with a fine toothed comb, with varying degrees of success.

 

“Shut up,” the petite Vizard muttered back disgruntledly as she fought the urge to just rip the comb through his tangled strands and just be done with the whole situation. “Ya wouldn’t have this problem if ya just went bald, baldy. And why do I have ‘ta do this for ya?”  
  
“What’s it with ya and yer obsession ‘ta see me bald?” he shot back at her. “And of course ya have ‘ta take responsibility – don’t grab my hair like that next time if ya have peanut butter all over your hands, stupid!”

 

“Well, then don’t kiss me down there if you don’t want my hands in your hair,” she snarked back as she continued to roughly comb through his hair, unimpressed by his grumbling. “What else am I s’posed to hold onto but that silly mop of yours?”

 

“My hair is not silly – it’s called style,” he told her with an eye roll. “And if ya put it like that, then ya should be glad that I ain’t bald after all. You’ll have nothin’ ‘ta hold onto if I have no hair, brat.”

 

“What style? All ya did was cut your fringe crooked,” Hiyori scoffed. “And ya still have a good pair of ears, don’t ya? I can always grab the hell outta those instead. I’ll start worryin’ if ya somehow manage ‘ta lose them in a fight or somethin’.”

 

He just gave her an annoyed look then, one that quickly changed into appalled revulsion when she suddenly ducked downwards and ate a clump of peanut butter straight off of his hair.

 

“Hmm. Still good,” she announced her findings after tasting it, much to his shock.

 

“ _Hiyori_!” he yelled. “ _Don’t eat that_!! That’s utterly disgustin’!!”

 

The pigtailed blonde just leaned in once more and licked off another ball of peanut butter from his hair, this time near his jawline, ignoring his protests while she was at it. She shrugged.

 

“Why not? Your hair’s probably the cleanest surface ‘ta eat things off of, what with the way ya fuss over it like it’s a baby.”

 

“Exactly! I put chemicals in my hair, ya little idiot! Spit it out right now!”

 

Hiyori wasn’t very perturbed by the information. She just shrugged again, nonchalant as ever. “S’okay. It all tastes the same ‘ta me.”

 

“Tastes the same-” he broke off, looking very incredulously at her. His lover frowned slightly at him then.

 

“Besides, ya have no right ‘ta point fingers,” she quickly told him. “Ya started it first; ya were eatin’ peanut butter right off of my thighs, remember. Isn’t that even worse?”

 

As always, she was utterly frank and unashamed when it came to discussing their sex lives.

 

“That’s entirely different-” he sounded completely exasperated, but then she leaned in and licked him again, this time on the side of his mouth. That shut him up very quickly. Her feline eyes met his, and she cocked her head slightly to the side.

 

“Different?” she parroted in question, watching him intently. “It’s still ya; I’ll kiss ya – and lick ya, and touch ya – wherever I please.”  

 

She was just being her usual forthright self, but he immediately caught the unspoken nuances of her words – ‘ _Mine_ ,’ she seemed to be saying, even though it was purely instinctual on her part and she was likely unaware of her own claim.

 

Shinji groaned. He was so completely susceptible to her particular brand of charisma that it wasn’t even funny. It was a good thing that she was still more or less unaware of the full extent of just how much she affected him, or she would have a field day running circles all around him.

 

“I give up,” he muttered at last, and then he just grabbed her by the nape and caught her mouth with his, kissing her instead. Unsurprisingly, she tasted like peanut butter. After a while, he drew back slightly and looked at her, licking his lips slowly as he did so.

 

“You’re right; it tastes the same,” he acknowledged reluctantly at last.

 

“Told ya,” she retorted, and then she darted in and brushed her mouth against his once more, again and again and again, as if she just could not seem to get enough of him all of a sudden.

 

He was a bit overwhelmed (pleasantly so) by her spontaneous bout of affection, and then, dazedly,  he wondered what on earth they were doing – and just what they had been discussing for the last few minutes. Shinji groaned again, and then he leaned his forehead against hers, holding her still. “You’re turnin’ me into a nutcase, brat.”

 

“You’re already nuts – so don’t blame me for it,” she uttered back in response. Then, she slipped into the ofuro with him, nimble as a sylph, pushing him back slightly and straddling his hips. She pressed up against him and looked right into his eyes.

 

“Now, shut up and lemme kiss ya all over. I’m ‘bout ‘ta make ya even crazier.”

 

* * *

**ix. Cats Love with Bunting. When a cat cheek-rubs you, head-bumps your face, or pushes against you, she leaves her scented signature. These behaviors, termed bunting, are expressions of affection cats display to other cats, dogs-and their most favorite people.**

By the time they finally retreated to bed and turned in for the night, Hiyori was curled up against him on his futon in an exhausted heap. Despite being snowed in for the entire day, they had certainly been… _busy_ , and even he, too, was feeling the effects from their vigorous activities.

 

It had taken a bit longer before they finally got all the peanut butter out of his hair – mostly because they kept getting sidetracked – and then he had made her take a bath with him (resulting in even more distractions), and by the time they finally emerged from the bathroom, they were both ravenously hungry and sorely in need of sustenance. This time, he prepared their dinner – a quick and simple fare of plain, fluffy white rice with soup. Granted, the miso was of the instant variety and even an idiot could cook rice, but the meal was \ filling and warmed their bodies in this winter climate, and Hiyori simply polished off her share without any complaints. His brat was not a very picky eater in the first place, and she also didn’t like to waste food.

 

The pigtailed blonde looked drowsy and she kept nodding off throughout the meal, but despite her apparent sleepiness, she still did her share of the work and helped him clear the table and clean up, and when they were finally done, he took pity on her and herded her off to bed. She didn’t protest, and was surprisingly passive and relaxed as she snuggled up to him, happy to steal and luxuriate in his body heat.

 

Outside, the snowstorm was finally showing signs of letting up, and if it continued to do so, then the Senkaimon would be reopened by tomorrow morning. It meant that his secluded time with his lover would soon be drawing to an end – at least for now. Hiyori was already itching to return to the Living Realm, and he knew that she would probably be jumping right through the dimensional portal the very moment she could do so.

 

Still, the last couple of days had been nice, and even though he hadn’t managed to get a lot of work done, he had thoroughly enjoyed bonding with his brat. He couldn’t exactly put his finger on the source of it, but she had been rather affectionate and demonstrative during her entire visit, and therefore the whole thing was pretty wonderful. Shinji certainly wasn’t complaining, that was for sure, though it would be great to know what had caused her apparent good mood so that he could do it again – a pleased Hiyori was like the sweetest, tamest little cat, and he loved it when she was happy and content beside him.

 

As if she could sense his thoughts, the petite woman nuzzled sleepily into his neck, rubbing her cheek against his warm skin with a soft, satisfied croon. Her hands curled lightly over his chest and her ochre eyes were heavy and half lidded as she watched him hazily, and she was so disarmingly charming that he instantly felt a fierce rush of affection for her. If he wasn’t already irrevocably in love with her, then surely he would be falling for her all over again right now.

 

He pulled her close, turning his head slightly and tenderly kissing her cheek. She submitted docilely to his act of endearment, and the sheer amount of trust towards him that was reflected in her unguarded, glowing gaze was both staggering and humbling at the same time. He sucked in a deep breath, and quite suddenly, Shinji was hit by a powerful epiphany. 

 

He _knew_ her like he knew the back of his own hand, understood intrinsically that she was the wild, strong-willed type who would only ever submit and give in to the one who held her trust the most – but now, _now_ , she was submitting to him, giving in to his touch, putting herself completely in his hands.

 

This was her way of telling him.

 

She had chosen him just as surely as he had chosen her, and this was what she had been trying to show him the entire time.

 

Hiyori closed her eyes and nuzzled him again, and then lightly brushed her mouth over his jawline, before settling back down against him to sleep. He swallowed, momentarily overcome by her sweet confession.

 

Then, he finally saw fit to respond to her silent declaration of love and adoration. His voice was husky, fiercely intimate with a surge of underlying elation.

 

“I know, brat. Me too.”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

First of all, apologies for the super late update! Together with my usual real life commitments, I’ve also been preoccupied with my Shinji RP blogs and trying to catch ‘em all in Pokemon X, so I’m guilty of neglecting L&T a bit, hehe.

 

Speaking of RP blogs, I’d like to give a quick shoutout to my dear friend, PrettyPleaseWithSugarOnTop, for her wonderful rendition of Hiyori to my Shinji. She’s also an author on FF Net, so do check out her profile, especially if you’re a fellow ByaHisa fan!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, this is the last part of the triple-shot kitty!arc, which means we will be moving onto a new arc next chapter!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	25. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3072

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 31/08/13

**Completed on:** 03/09/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 01/12/13

 

* * *

**First Impressions**

* * *

 

Shinji studied the other Captain briefly as the latter stepped out of the Urahara Shoten in his newly acquired Gigai.

 

The relatively youthful Taichou of the Juubantai, Hitsugaya Toshirou, was sporting a rather disgruntled expression as he stashed his Soul Candy in his shirt pocket and checked his flip phone for power before he left to embark on his mission. The younger Shinigami had not been happy to be selected for this glorified fieldtrip when he could be back in Seireitei doing more important things – like paperwork – but Kyouraku Soutaichou had already made his decision, and it wasn’t as if he could decline a direct working order from the Captain Commander.

 

“Are ya sure ya don’t need me ‘ta come with ‘ta help smooth things over, Hitsugaya-kun?” the Gobantai Taichou drawled then, watching with carefully concealed amusement as his informal address of the younger Captain irked the touchy boy something fierce, though the white-haired Shinigami barely refrained from making an issue out of it.

 

“Hirako Taichou,” Toshirou gritted out rather irritably. “I was the one chosen to carry out this assignment, so allow me to do it on my own terms. Or are you volunteering to take over the mission?”

 

Toshirou sounded a bit too hopeful for it to be entirely just a joke, and besides, the boy did not seem to be the humorous type as far as Shinji was aware.

 

The golden-haired Vizard Captain shook his head and backed off. “Sorry, kid, but you’re on your own here. I’m here on a short break, and I don’t do working vacations. Good luck on your assignment.”

 

“Don’t call me ‘kid,’” the smaller Taichou grumbled before he stalked off.

 

Why was he the one who was always stuck with having to ‘monitor unusual reiatsu patterns’ in Karakura town? Granted, thanks to Hirako Taichou’s reports, they already knew who was emitting the reiatsu fluctuations. That made his work slightly easier, but he had better things to do then to babysit one human/Shinigami/Quincy hybrid, even if it was yet another (probably) troublesome spawn of his ex-Taichou. Besides, he could just _sense_ his paperwork pile growing and overflowing from his inbox already, since Matsumoto was certainly not going to do a thing about it, and it was also the height of summer right now too, the season that he absolutely _hated_ the most, and of course, some divine being probably hated him and just wanted to watch him suffer under the merciless heat.

 

Toshiro was definitely _not_ a happy camper right now.

 

Kisuke shuffled over to stand with Shinji then, unfurling his fan and giving it a few lazy flaps to generate a stifling breeze to combat the overwhelming, blistering climate. The two men watch the younger male disappear around the corner.

 

“Is Hitsugaya-san aware that the target of his investigation is with the Vizards right at this moment, and that he’ll technically require your assistance to get past Hachi-san’s barrier?”

 

Shinji shrugged, looking a bit too amused for his own good.

 

“I did offer my assistance; but he declined. I’m sure Hitsugaya-kun will find his way through easily enough. I’m more worried about what he’ll find inside, ‘ta be honest.”

 

The two blondes paused and tried to picture how the Vizards – most specifically, _Hiyori_ – would react to the breach in security.

 

“…Aa, Hitsugaya-san will manage,” Kisuke remarked lightheartedly at last, carefree as can be, and Shinji silently concurred.

 

“So, ‘ta the usual izakaya?”

 

“Why, Hirako Taichou, drinking so early in the afternoon?” Kisuke bantered in a mock-scandalized manner, whereas his friend merely scoffed lightly and arched a brow. The bucket hat-wearing Urahara chuckled.

 

“I like your way of thinking. Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

When Shinji finally made his way over to the Vizard Warehouse an hour or so before sundown, there was a lot of ruckus going on – most of which was caused by Hiyori, unsurprisingly. He slipped through the barrier and entered the building just in time to see an incredibly flustered Tenth Division Captain trying rather futilely to ward off the swift and relentless verbal assault of his sharp tongued significant other. The poor boy was not succeeding very well in his endeavor, and he must have also inadvertently riled up Hiyori in some form or another, for she looked rather aggravated and was being more aggressive than usual, getting right up in the white-haired Taichou’s face and jabbing painfully at his chest with a pointy finger even as she yelled unflattering names at Hitsugaya’s increasingly red and embarrassed features.

 

The other three Vizards, plus one Kurosaki-chan, were lingering around the main area of the warehouse idly watching the bloodletting with various states of interest and boredom, so Shinji could more or less surmise that Hiyori had been ragging on his fellow Captain for a while already.

 

“Yo. What’s goin’ on here?” he announced his arrival by way of asking, though Hachi was already aware of his presence when he stepped through the Kido barrier around the warehouse. All attention briefly shifted to him, and Hitsugaya looked so comically relieved that backup had arrived that Shinji almost felt bad for subjecting the ice zanpakuto wielder to the trauma of having to deal with an angry Hiyori. It was like throwing a defenseless lamb into a lion’s den, but then again, Toshirou was still in one piece and no one was missing any limbs yet, so obviously the situation couldn’t have devolved _that_ badly.

 

“Hirako Taichou!” the younger Shinigami quickly burst out, appearing and sounding a bit frazzled as he did so. The boy pushed away from the antagonistic female Vizard and turned to the Fifth Division Captain for assistance. “I’ve been _trying_ to explain my mission objectives to these people here, but this _woman_ is being completely unreasonable-”

 

“UNREASONABLE?” Hiyori shoved her way right back in Toshirou’s face, hollering as she did so. “Ya strut in here like ya own the damn place, and then ya had the gall ‘ta ‘inform’ us that you’ll be observin’ us for a while, and ya call me ‘UNREASONABLE?!!’” The pigtailed blonde had, by now, grabbed the Juubantai Taichou by the lapels of his shirt and was unceremoniously whipping him about back and forth like a ragdoll. “DO WE LOOK LIKE WE WANNA BE ‘OBSERVED,’ HUH??? DO WE LOOK LIKE FUCKIN’ ZOO ANIMALS ‘TA YA, YA DAMN SHITTY SHINIGAMI?!!”

 

The veritable gust of outrage pouring out of Hiyori’s fanged mouth was enough to blow Toshirou’s hair right out of his face, and not surprisingly, he very quickly grew irritated with the disrespectful treatment he was receiving. It was the final straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. Grabbing the wrists of his tormentor, a large vein ticking on his forehead, Toshirou ripped himself free from her hold and then pushed his own face right up to hers.

 

“I NEVER SAID THAT I WAS GOING TO OBSERVE YOU, YOU RAVING MADWOMAN!!” he bellowed back at her, finally losing his temper. “I’M HERE TO WATCH KUROSAKI KARIN, NOT YOU!”

 

His loud yell echoed through the empty warehouse, and then there was a long silence as everyone present just _looked_ at the small, displeased Captain. Then, through the slowly dissipating haze of his anger, Toshirou’s brain finally caught up to his mouth, and he quickly realized what his earlier unthinking words had sounded like. Snapping out of his earlier irritation-induced tunnel vision, he caught the dark, mostly neutral gaze of the girl whom he had been sent to investigate, and suddenly, he felt the most immense embarrassment for his outburst. 

 

“…The young Taichou’s still pretty curious about girls, huh,” Lisa remarked blankly then. Toshirou could feel his face heating up with mortification.

 

“No!” the poor boy Captain sputtered. “That’s not what it is!! I’m just here to observe Kurosaki Karin!” That didn’t sound right either, and Shinji just watched as the usually stolid and serious Hitsugaya dug himself into a deeper hole with the other Vizards.

 

Hiyori made a face, and then she pulled away from the white-haired Shinigami’s loosened grasp, crossing her arms before her chest. “Tch. So yer just another pervert,” the petite young woman pointed out.

 

“I’M NOT A PERVERT!” the increasingly flustered Toshirou yelled again, frantic to defend his honor, which seemed to be crumbling to pieces right before his very eyes. “THIS IS MY MISSION!! IT’S AN ORDER FROM THE SOUTAICHOU!”

 

“Is that what they call it now?” Love added, seamlessly joining in on the teasing. “I sure don’t remember going on any missions that involved stalking pretty teenage girls when I was Captain. Man, Kyouraku sure changed the system around now that he’s the Boss. I’m jealous.”

 

They were all deliberately misinterpreting his words, Toshirou was aware, but that did not lessen his discomfort. The fact that the Kurosaki girl was just hanging back and watching them make an idiot out of him simply made the whole thing even more unbearable. The white-haired male forced himself to calm down, distancing himself from his emotions and taking a mental step back from this situation. When he finally felt that he had a good grasp of himself, he spoke.

 

“Look,” he growled. “I’m only here to observe and monitor the reiatsu fluctuations of Kurosaki Karin because of her Shinigami/Quincy heritage. Her brother, Kurosaki Ichigo, is aware of this and he approves. You may check with Hirako Taichou if you do not believe me.”

 

Shinji shrugged. “Yeah, Ichigo’s aware. He’s not happy ‘bout it, but he’s aware.” A slyly amused look crept onto the Fifth Division Captain’s face as he came up to stand beside Hiyori.

 

“Though, Hitsugaya-kun, I think ya should be more worried about getting permission from Kurosaki-chan’s dad first before ya commence with the stalkin’. Isshin’s your ex-Taichou, isn’t he? Ya really sure ya wanna go there? There’s no turnin’ back after this, ya know.”

 

Toshirou just gaped at his fellow Shinigami in disbelief. Even the latter was in on the joke – what was this; Pick On Toshirou Day?

 

“Hirako Taichou!!” the young Captain yelled with outrage, turning even redder as he did so. He now vaguely resembled a tomato with white hair for stems.

 

Shinji smirked and shook his head.

 

“I’m just kiddin’. Keep your panties on, kid,” he drawled, much to Toshirou’s scowling displeasure. Turning to Hiyori, the Fifth Division Captain continued. “Well, it’s as he said – he’s just here ‘ta document Kurosaki-chan’s physical development-”

 

“ _Her skills and fighting abilities_ ,” Toshirou interrupted, gritting out before more unfunny jokes could be cracked at his expense. “I’m here to assess her skills and fighting abilities.”

 

“Yeah, exactly what he said,” Shinji appended with a casual shrug even as his fellow Captain glared sourly at him. “So cut the poor guy some slack already and quit gangin’ up on him. Let him do his job.”

 

Hiyori kicked her lover hard in the shin then, causing him to swear and bend over to inspect his poor, throbbing limb. His lover took advantage of his preoccupation to give him another swift boot, this time right in the backside, sending him sprawling on the floor next. Toshirou watched with incredulity as the small, bad tempered woman casually beat up on his fellow Captain whereas the others around them didn’t even seem fazed by her audacity.

 

“The hell’s that for, Hiyori?!” Shinji yelled as he sat on the ground. The petite blonde growled at him.

 

“Don’t think that you’re special, damn hage!” she barked back, baring her little fang as she did so, obviously in a fighty and quarrelsome mood. “You’re a shitty Shinigami too!” Her aggressive ochre eyes landed on Toshirou then, and she raised up a small but threatening fist. “What?!! Ya want some of this too?”

 

The white-haired Captain was so appalled that he took a step back. And why was Hirako Taichou just letting himself be slapped around by the short and ornery blonde?? The look of bewilderment must have been obvious on his face, for someone eventually came up beside him and answered his unspoken question.

 

“Don’t worry; it’s just the usual case of domestic violence between those two,” the voice was low and matter-of-fact, but with a smooth, distinctly feminine undertone. Toshirou turned his head and promptly met the calm, dark gaze of one Kurosaki Karin. Turquoise eyes widened slightly in surprise.

 

Up close, the sixteen year old girl was obviously taller than him, slim and athletic like a model, her neatly worn Karakura High School uniform showcasing slender, coltish limbs and a lean, toned physique. She had also apparently inherited her father’s coloring; her long, straight inky black hair was thrown up in a high ponytail, her complexion lightly tanned from the sun and peach-hued, possessing a straight blade of a nose and a firm mouth. Overall, she looked like a (prettier) female version of Shiba Taichou, he thought belatedly, though there was nothing remotely idiotic or stupid-like in her steady, self-possessed demeanor.

 

Eventually, Toshirou realized that he had been staring at the girl like a dolt while lost in his thoughts, and he quickly tried to remember what she had been speaking about earlier, picking up the conversation once more.

 

“Domestic violence?” he echoed slowly, turning his eyes back to the scene before them, where the tracksuit wearing female Vizard was somehow straddling the Gobantai Taichou _and_ trying to kick him in the face at the same time. The golden-haired male took exception to her action, unsurprisingly, and so he grabbed her before she could do any damage and dragged her to him, reeling her in and sealing her potty mouth with a quick kiss to hopefully calm her mood.

 

Toshirou did a quick double take and gaped in surprise. _They are together!!_

 

It seemed so strange to Toshirou, but it wasn’t as if he was here to judge or gossip about his colleague’s relationships – or dubious taste in women, for that matter. This certainly shed light on his previous question of why Hirako Taichou was so passive with the smaller blonde, though his attempt to placate the loudmouthed and spirited young woman did not save him from being violently smacked by the sole of her slipper all the same. Toshirou started to feel a bit sorry for the other Captain, and then Hiyori caught him staring at her.

 

“I’m not interested in pervert midgets,” the petite and brash blonde wasted no time informing him flat out, and he spluttered when he realized what she was talking about.

 

“I have no interest in you either!” Toshirou choked back, indignant. There was a pause, and then he yelled. “AND YOU’RE A MIDGET TOO!!”

 

It was obviously a sore topic with him, judging by his overreaction, and the girl standing beside him coughed slightly, interrupting his angry spiel. This time, those dark charcoal grey eyes were tinged with mild amusement as they watched him, and for some reason, his embarrassment grew – she must be thinking that all Shinigami were idiots. The fact that he had to look _up_ to her also made the tips of his ears turn bright red with chagrin, though he tried to pretend not to notice their apparent height difference.

 

Karin calmly raised an arched brow.

 

“So, I take it that you’re gonna be following me around?” she asked. She was surprisingly calm for someone whose privacy was going to be significantly compromised, he thought.

 

The Juubantai Taichou nodded subtly. “Yeah,” he muttered, sounding rather aggrieved. The mission hadn’t officially started and already he was feeling extremely put out by the entire situation. “Don’t take it the wrong way – I’m just doing my job.”

 

She tilted her head slightly then. “Is there a right way I’m supposed to take this?”

 

That was a really good question, one that he did not know the answer to. He shrugged grouchily. “Who knows.”

 

She just continued to watch him with those dark, sharp eyes of hers for a while, and he wondered what she was thinking. “You any good at fighting?” she asked at last.

 

He bristled slightly, insulted by her question. “I’m a Gotei 13 _Captain_ ,” he emphasized, and then he left it at that, since that should obviously answer her question.

 

“Is that a yes?” she persisted.

 

He was starting to look irritated now. “ _Yes_. That’s a yes. Anything else you want to know?” He was being sarcastic, but she just ignored him and continued.

 

“I want to get stronger,” she told him flat out. “I’ll let you follow me around, but in exchange, you’ll spar with me.”

 

His mission wasn’t up for negotiation, and his immediate response was to inform her flat out of that fact, but there was a particular glint in her eyes that stilled his tongue. It was the same obstinate, stubborn streak that he had seen in his ex-Taichou countless times before, and also present in her older brother Kurosaki Ichigo. Something told him that this apple did not fall far from the tree as well.

 

Toshirou looked away. “We’ll see,” he grunted, and the girl just _smiled_.

 

She stuck her hand out to him. “Kurosaki Karin. Yoroshiku.”

 

“Captain Hitsugaya Toshirou,” he muttered back, and he was now obligated to return her polite greeting, even though he really didn’t like this western style of salutation at all. Why couldn’t they just nod at each other and be done with it?

 

The white-haired Shinigami gingerly reached out to close the handshake, but evidently he was taking way too long to complete such a relatively simple gesture, for she just grabbed his hand decisively and gave him a firm, no-nonsense pump before letting go. Her fingers were callused, her grip strong, and her warmth stayed with him even after she had withdrawn from him. Toshirou stared at his own hand in surprise.

 

“Pleasure.” Karin murmured. Hiyori came up to the newly acquainted duo then, eying Toshirou with veiled distrust. Trailing in her wake was her significant other, clearly nursing a nosebleed and looking rather undignified while he was at it.

 

“Don’t get so close ‘ta him, Karin. This fella’s a Shinigami scum and he’s also a pervert ‘ta boot.”  

 

Toshirou was starting to turn red with anger/mortification again, though Karin took pity on him and intervened on his behalf this time.

 

“Hiyori-nee, Ichi-nii’s a Shinigami too, and so is Shinji-san.” Dark eyes gleamed then, and with something that looked suspiciously like mischief. “Chibi Taichou can’t be _that_ bad.”

 

Toshirou could feel the vein on his forehead throb – he was _so_ angry.

 

“THAT’S HITSUGAYA TAICHOU TO YOU!!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Eek, sorry for the late update!! Again, I know! I’m not gonna bother with excuses anymore, but I hope that you guys have enjoyed this chapter, and if you do, do remember to send a nod of thanks over to my good friend, Lilithkiss. She was the one who kicked my ass back into the ShiYori high gear (with her lovely, adorable, drool worthy fanarts, of course xD).

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Before any of you can start to ask - no, this is not a fic with blatant multi-ships, so don’t worry about that too much. I was merely trying my hand at writing a possible HitsuKarin friendship (maybe more?) thingy, and it was a good opportunity to also write Shinji and Hiyori’s relationship as seen from another person’s point of view (in this case, Toshirou’s).

 

By the way, I hope that I’ve done both Toshirou and Karin credit – this is my first time characterizing them, so apologies are in order if they are a bit OOC!!

 

FYI, this fic follows manga-verse, which means that Toshirou and Karin has never met each other before prior to this encounter.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

For those who are curious, an ‘Izakaya’ is a Japanese drinking establishment (sounds fancy but it’s actually just a sake bar, haha).

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

New arc again next chapter!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	26. My Hollow versus Your Hollow, Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3129

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

**Created on:** 05/09/13

 

**Completed on:** 06/09/13

 

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 22/12/13

 

* * *

**My Hollow versus Your Hollow, Part I**

* * *

 

“So lemme get this straight,” Shinji said as he stared at his friend as if his idea was being completely incomprehensible – which it was. “Ya wanna put our inner Hollows together.”

 

The Gobantai Taichou sounded rather incredulous. Kisuke smiled and lazily fanned himself, casual as can be.

 

“Something like that, yes.”

 

The golden-haired Shinigami/Vizard looked like he did not quite understand what the other blonde was thinking.

 

“Are ya _crazy_?” Shinji blurted out at last. “Whatever the hell for?”

 

The bucket hat wearing Urahara gave a mysterious shrug. “Call it a hunch,” he replied. “But I think it should be interesting to see how your inner Hollows react to each other.”

 

“They’re just gonna do their best ‘ta kill each other, that’s how they’re gonna react,” the Fifth Division Captain muttered. “They’re Hollows, what exactly are ya expectin’ ‘ta see?”

 

Kisuke just shrugged again. “I’m a scientist and a scholar first and foremost. I’m always curious to test out my theories and hypotheses. There’s still a lot that we’re unaware of regarding the psyches of inner Hollows. Studying the interactions of a known pair of inner Hollows in a controlled environment may shed some light on the mystery.”

 

“Yeah, but in order for that ‘ta possibly happen, we’d have ‘ta cede complete control of our bodies over ‘ta our inner Hollows,” Shinji replied. Understandably, he was not thrilled by the notion.

 

“Not necessarily,” the ex-Captain of the Twelfth Division remarked. “I designed something that should work to temporarily transfer the consciousness of both you and your inner Hollow to a neutral metaphysical plane. The mechanism is paired with its sibling device, which will simultaneously link Hiyori-san and her inner Hollow to the same plane for the exchange. Your physical bodies will remain inert and in stasis for the duration of the interaction, so there’s very little risk involved, all things considered.”

 

“What ‘bout our zanpakuto spirits?” Shinji asked.

 

“They will be sealed for the period of time both you and your inner Hollows are on the neutral plane, to minimize the degree of potential conflict. That means your inner Hollow will not have access to Sakanade in any form whatsoever during this process.”

 

“Hiyori and I won’t be able ‘ta touch our zanpakuto as well, then,” Shinji pointed out, astute as ever. Kisuke nodded.

 

“Yes, it levels the playing field between all of you, so to speak.” The tousled blonde paused, and then continued. “I’m hoping to see your inner Hollows interact in ways other than violence and murderous rage, so if need be, you and Hiyori-san may need to intervene – that’s the reason why I’m transferring both of your conscious selves alongside that of your inner Hollows. You’ll each have to rein in your respective alter egos if things really happen to go pear-shaped.” 

 

Shinji was starting to look incredulous again. “Are ya serious?” he uttered in disbelief. Kisuke just gave him that idiotic smiley look of his that never failed to exasperate the people around him. The Fifth Division Captain groaned out loud. “What am I askin’? Of course you’re perfectly serious.”

 

After all, Kisuke wouldn’t have approached him with this if he hadn’t already made all the necessary preparations (and thought out all the possible ways things could go wrong).

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been waiting for this opportunity for decades,” the ex-Taichou offered in that annoying sing-songy drawl of his. “You see, it’s only recently that the final condition of my experiment has been satisfied.”

 

“Yeah? And what condition is that?” Shinji asked, starting to feel a bit disgruntled over how the other man wasn’t even going to pretend that he wasn’t using his friends as research fodder. _Again_.

 

“I needed a test pair who’s also a bonded couple,” Kisuke replied with absolute calm, even as Shinji just stared at him. “Inner Hollows are the manifestations of their hosts’ souls, and they are usually viciously instinctual as a general rule of thumb. That’s why I believe that they are capable of reflecting their owners’ emotions and sentiments – I want to see if they are capable of displaying affection as well.”  
  
The Gobantai Taichou was simply flabbergasted. “Are ya _high_??” he demanded at last. “Kisuke, ya must be outta your mind.”

 

The tousled blonde just smiled innocuously at his friend again. “I assure you that I’m perfectly lucid and in control of my thoughts. If even the top class Arrancars are capable of exhibiting affection, why not your inner Hollow? Can you imagine the ramifications if this is true, Shinji?”

 

Still, the Shinigami Captain was skeptical, and for good reason. His inner Hollow was both mercenary _and_ vicious, and he highly doubted that Hiyori’s would be any different. Just the thought of those two together was enough to give him second thoughts about the whole thing – he could already picture a hundred and one scenarios resulting from introducing the two inner Hollows and none of them were good.

 

“I don’t think it’s gonna be that simple, Kisuke.”

 

The bucket hat-wearing Urahara shrugged once more. “I’m aware. I’ve already made the necessary precautions. You and Hiyori-san are the best test pair for this - you cannot believe how exasperating it was to wait for you two to quit dallying about and finally get together.”

 

Shinji glowered slightly at that. “Gee, I’m sorry that our complicated love lives have gotten in the way of your precious research.” He was being completely sarcastic, of course. “And why just Hiyori and I? Kensei and Mashiro could make a good test pair too.”

 

Kisuke shook his head slightly. “In terms of Hollow pairing compatibility and matchups, yours and Hiyori-san’s are more complementary. Mashiro-san’s Hollow is the most passive out of all of you, whereas Kensei-san’s took the second longest to overcome, third if you count Ichigo. Also, Kensei-san’s inner Hollow is a brute force type – he can and will overwhelm Mashiro-san’s very quickly before a connection can even be made.”  
  
Shinji was quickly starting to see where Kisuke was going with this. “Hiyori’s also another brute force type, but since her inner Hollow’s unlikely ‘ta overwhelm mine, yer experiment may see better results.”

 

The tousled blonde nodded. “Even though Hiyori-san took the longest to conquer her inner Hollow, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The stubbornness and resilience of her inner Hollow may even prove to be an advantage in this instance, especially if she can force yours to engage it.”

 

Shinji could not deny the ring of truth in the other man’s words. His own inner Hollow was the calculating, deliberate type and was unlikely to attack immediately – at least not until it had gotten a good measure of its opponent’s weaknesses first. Its intelligence made it extremely dangerous because it did not fight with just its considerable instincts and abilities like most Hollows did, but with sheer, conniving cunning as well. Out of all the Vizards, he was the second fastest to conquer his inner Hollow, but that was partly because his inner Hollow had quickly recognized his strength and backed off accordingly, seeing no point in butting its head futilely against an impenetrable fortress.

 

Frankly, the very notion of exposing Hiyori to his inner Hollow made him slightly nervous – there was so much that could go wrong – but Shinji recognized Kisuke’s legitimate need for information when it came to this particular issue. There were only eight Vizards right now – nine, if one considered Ichigo’s hybridized form – and the test pool was indeed a very small, limited one. The fine-haired blonde sighed at last, eyeing his friend narrowly as he did so.

 

“You’re gonna owe me big for this,” Shinji muttered, and Kisuke smiled in acknowledgement. “And for the record, I also think that you’re putting way too much reliance on our personal compatibility with each other for this to be a purely unbiased experiment.”

 

“I’m aware. What I’ve mentioned so far are only pure speculation on my part,” Kisuke admitted. “I need solid data to confirm my analysis, and both you and Hiyori-san are the most viable couple to get it from right now. If my hypothesis is validated, I’ll run the same test with Kensei-san and Mashiro-san as the second stage of the experiment, but until then, there’s no need to risk their involvement.”

 

Shinji looked exasperated again. “Nice to know that we’re the fresh guinea pigs again,” the Gobantai Taichou retorted under his breath, but with little heat. “Fine, but you’re gonna have ‘ta convince Hiyori though – because there’s no way in hell I’m explainin’ this ‘ta her.”

 

“Hiyori-san has already kindly given her consent,” the ex-Captain replied with good cheer, much to the other Shinigami’s stare of disbelief. “I told her that it’d be a good training exercise, and she couldn’t wait to get started.”

 

Of course. He should have known. Shinji groaned again, and then he gave his unrepentantly smiling friend an incredibly unamused, deadpan look.

 

“I never really had any say in this from the very beginning, did I?”

 

* * *

 

Hiyori opened her eyes to the familiar afternoon skyline of Karakura town. The pigtailed blonde snorted to herself – neutral plane, her ass. This was obviously a similar construct like the one the Gotei 13 had used during the battle with Aizen, though just the reminder of that event left a bad taste in her mouth.

 

Hiyori found herself hovering in midair, but that wasn’t her most pressing concern. Her damn Hollow was loose somewhere and she needed to find it before it decided to go ahead and spring any unexpected surprises on her. Sharp ochre eyes quickly scanned the horizon. Hiyori extended her senses and concentrated on locating the annoying alter ego that had been plaguing her existence for over a century and counting. Her attention suddenly snapped to the large canal that ran alongside the edge of the town. There – on the concrete bridge!!

 

In a swift burst of shunpo, she easily traversed half of Karakura and quickly descended on the crossing over the waterway. Her slippered feet landed soundlessly on the ground, and her scowling gaze was fixed firmly on the shihakusho-clad back of her white-haired, bleached-skinned inner Hollow, who was currently crouched on top of the bridge’s railing, bemusedly watching the water go by underneath them like it was the most fascinating thing that it had ever seen.

 

As usual, just looking at her inner Hollow was enough to make annoyance simmer within Hiyori. As if to purposely aggravate her, the manifestation of her alter ego was dressed in an inversed version of the standard Shinigami uniform, with a white kosode and hakama and black hakama-himo and shitagi. There was even a black clothed armband tied around its left arm, though the accompanying wooden badge was blank and showed no insignia that affiliated it to the Gotei 13. Black tabi socks and normal waraji sandals completed her inner Hollow’s ensemble, and the more Hiyori stared at it, the more irritated she became.

 

At last, the white-haired spirit swiveled around to look at its owner. Burning ochre irises with black sclera and animalistic slitted pupils met Hiyori’s narrowed gaze. Pale lips lifted in a parody of a smile, looking more like a mocking snarl than anything. It was as if the petite Vizard was looking at her mirror image, a washed out but viciously cruel version of herself – her very own inner demon. Hiyori tensed slightly even as her glare intensified.

 

In response, her alter ego’s smirk widened to an insolent, extremely aggravating grin.

 

“ _Well_ , _well_ , _well_ ,” the inner Hollow purred lazily, her tone low and predatory. “So Her Royal Majesty has finally decided ‘ta join ‘lil ole me.”

 

“ _Banshee_ ,” Hiyori snapped out, calling to the inner Hollow by its nickname. “Cut the crap. Ya wanna go? I won’t ever lose ‘ta ya, so get over here and get ready for an ass kickin’.”

 

Just like Kisuke had promised, they were both currently without the advantage of Kubikiri Orochi, and even though Hiyori instinctively missed the presence of her zanpakuto, she was more than well-versed in hand-to-hand combat, and of course, so was her inner Hollow.

 

Banshee tilted her head slightly in a sardonic manner. Her host’s posture was deceptively loose, but the hard look in her eyes said clearly that she meant business. Normally, Banshee would be more than happy to indulge the other short-tempered female, but this time was different.

 

“Where exactly are we, _Ouhi-chan_?” the inner Hollow asked with silky venom, even though she deliberately widened her eyes to portray a look of nonchalant innocence. “Not that I mind getting out of that empty space ya call a head every once in a while…but ya gotta give a lady some warnin’ ‘ta prepare herself for a date, ya know…?”

 

The poisonous honey dripping from her drawling tone was enough make Hiyori’s fists curl in warning, and the urge to leap over and slug that taunting sneer off of her likeness’ face was extremely tempting.

 

“Shut the bloody fuck up, or I’ll fuck your bloody face up,” Hiyori growled lowly, bristling as she did so. “Just lookin’ at ya pisses me off.”

 

The similarly pigtailed spirit stopped smiling. The look in its eerie eyes sharpened, turned deadly with hatred and animosity. Hiyori met Banshee’s malicious stare without even flinching.

 

“Right back at ya, my _dear_ ,” the inner Hollow spat with vicious vitriol. “Every time I look at ya, I’m filled with disgust at the knowledge that I’m inhabtin’ such a weak and useless meat bag. It must suck wholly ‘ta be ya; _so_ stupid and _utterly_ pathetic. Tell me; how do ya even _bear_ livin’ with the knowledge that you’re such a failure, Ouhi-chan?” 

 

That was one of her host’s largest triggers, and of course Banshee was making a point to punch it, gleefully.

 

The expression of articulate rage that crossed Hiyori’s face at the hollow’s deliberately spiteful words was quite something to behold. Her face twisted in a rictus of fury, her pupils dilating with her emotions, teeth clenched and bared, lips pulled back in a ferocious snarl. But still, she barely managed to hold herself back from blindly attacking, her body tensing up even as it took every shred of common sense she possessed to convince herself not to give in to the overpowering anger that her Hollow was deliberately inciting out of her.

 

She had gone over this again and again with Yoruichi and Kisuke for the last year – don’t give in, never give in to the baiting of an enemy, no matter how close to home their words hit. It was a struggle, especially with the red mist of wrath coating her vision, but Hiyori made herself take a slow, mental step back instead, her clenched fists shaking with the force of her ire. Easing herself back onto the balls of her feet when she had been straining visibly to jump her insufferable alter ego mere moments ago, Hiyori ground her teeth together and silently backed off.

 

Banshee lifted a brow, seemingly amused by the usually brash woman’s unexpected show of restraint. “Oh? So Ouhi-chan has learned a few new monkey tricks?”

 

Hiyori twitched, and then she glared wordlessly at the Hollow as the latter gracefully leapt off the railing she was perched on and glided sinuously up to her host. The spirit proceeded to lazily circle the female Vizard like a hungry shark, her glowing, predatory eyes derisively taking in the slight figure of the blonde. Hiyori kept her back ramrod straight, her stance rigid and ready to counterattack should her dangerous alter ego suddenly decide to strike, but before their fight could begin – as it always inevitably did – the plane of existence that they were on suddenly shuddered and _rippled_.

 

The two stiffened – one with recognition, the other with instinctual tension – when they sensed the presence of something even more powerful entering the fake world that they were currently inhabiting. Hiyori tensed at the hybridized dual reiatsu signature, and then she forced herself to relax slightly. She started to smirk as she eyed her suddenly agitated alter ego.

 

The fine hairs at the back of Banshee’s neck were standing straight up in warning – that same powerful something was approaching, and approaching fast. The inner Hollow immediately turned to her host.

 

“What’ve ya _done_?!” the inner Hollow screeched, not expecting this alien intrusion of what she had originally perceived as the private world of herself and her host. This was not a physical plane, and the fact that something else – _another spirit_ – that was not Kubikiri Orochi was in her claimed realm was highly disconcerting and aggravating. This was _her_ territory and _her_ Empress, damn it!!

 

Hissing viciously, Banshee immediately lost interest in engaging Hiyori and quickly scanned the horizon with sharp, animalistic eyes instead, fangs bared slightly with agitation and defensiveness. Then, she nearly missed the flash of movement coming down from the skyline and shooting straight towards her, almost too fast for her to catch.

 

Cat-slit pupils immediately dilated with shock at the sight of the other Hollow that had just made its appearance. It looked nothing like the human-resembling Arrancars that her host fought regularly in the Living World. _This one was like her._

 

White-haired, white-skinned just like her, but this one was obviously male, with a long curtain of fine, silken hair that flowed down his back and sadistic grey irises with black sclera and slit pupils. Like her, he was dressed in the traditional robes of the Shinigami, only inverted in color; he had on the same white shihakusho, but also wore an additional black, flowing haori thrown over his shoulders. Dangerous, forceful power crackled from him, all but demanding her submission to him. Her eyes narrowed. He was obviously much bigger than her, lean and rangy, possessing a wide and cruel grin, and even though Banshee had never seen another inner Hollow before, she immediately recognized who it belonged to. 

 

She growled, immediately sinking into a defensive stance. “I’ve seen your master before,” she snapped angrily as he neared. “I cut him open from shoulder to sternum once.”

 

Pharaoh lifted his pale lips at the smaller Hollow in a deadly, snarling smile. “ _I know, bitch_. _Have my thanks._ ”  
  
And then he raised his hand and released a cero right in her face. Banshee shrieked and Sonido-ed away at the last second, barely avoiding an excruciating and debilitating injury. She rolled and landed in a ready crouch on the other side of the bridge, hackles raised, her hateful, poisonous stare fixed on the other spirit.

 

“Don’t look now,” Hiyori muttered lowly from the sidelines even as she warily eyed her lover’s inner Hollow – as always, the damn baldy was late _again_.

 

“But I think your date’s ‘bout ‘ta take ya out for a real good time.”

 

* * *

 

  **Omake – Alternate/Random Outtake #1 **

 

Kisuke smiled secretively behind his fan as he led the couple behind him to the private space at the back of the Urahara Shoten.

 

“Welcome to my humble abode,” the tousled blonde intoned with a dramatic flourish as he ushered them into the vacant, traditional washitsu-style sitting room. Hiyori stalked past her ex-Captain as she entered and wasted no time kicking him in the back of the knee for the excessively stupid display. It was a good thing that she only got him on one leg, or he would have crumpled right onto the tatami floor along with his dignity.

 

“Hiyori, don’t kick him like that,” her lover chided as he, too, swept into the room, dressed in his Captain uniform. “We still need him ‘ta explain what’s goin’ on.”

 

The pigtailed blonde just huffed and plopped herself on one of the zabuton cushions by the low table in the center of the room. “Shut up, baldy,” she grumbled snappishly, her already short temper strung even tauter from the stifling summer heat. “I’ll give ya the boot next; don’t think that I won’t.”

 

Shinji looked exasperated by her (very possible) threat, but he still went up to her and settled on the seat right beside her, his movements a lot more fluid and graceful than her abrupt ones. Hiyori scowled at him disgruntledly for sticking so close, and then she deliberately scooted to the next cushion over so that his body heat wouldn’t radiate over to her and make her feel even warmer than she already was.

 

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, brat,” he muttered at her juvenile antics.

 

“Stay away,” she warned him grumpily. The walk over here from the Vizard Warehouse had already overheated her; the temperature outside was that atrociously high. Hiyori didn’t even know why she was still wearing her jacket, and so she started to unzip herself out of it, only barely registering the fact that she only had on a sports bra under it today. Shrugging mentally to herself, the petite blonde continued to divest herself of the thick material of her outerwear like it was no big deal – though Shinji promptly took exception to her action.

 

Reaching over quickly, he grabbed her by the lapels of her jacket and swiftly zipped her back up again, all the way to her neck. “What on earth do ya think you’re doin’?” he asked in a slight demand. Hiyori was not pleased with his bossiness, and she tried to smack his hand away only to be caught and hauled back to his side where he could personally keep her from her mischief. The smaller blonde hissed and bristled like an offended feline.

 

“Damn hage!” she spat out warningly, her temper starting to flare. “Yer gonna get hit if ya don’t let go right now!!”

 

“I think I’ll take my chances,” he told her, looking rather irritated himself. “And don’t just take off yer clothes anywhere ya please!”

 

Hiyori didn’t even bother to reply anymore. True to her word, she promptly sank her foot right into his face and tried to kick him away from her. They quickly ended up tussling on the floor, and Kisuke eyed the quarrelsome couple with no small amount of amusement – after more than one century, they still fought like cats and dogs. He dearly hoped that their unusual relationship would not affect the results of his experiment.

 

He coughed slightly to distract the pair. “Excuse me, you two, may I have your attention please?”

 

Not surprisingly, he was completely ignored as Hiyori pounced on her partner and started to pull at his hair next. Shinji let out a distinctly annoyed growl and he quickly had his hands full trying to subdue the little hellion who was also his lover. At last, he managed to pin her down, much to her futile struggles of anger.

 

“Behave yourself, brat, or yer gonna earn yerself a spankin’!”

 

“Go ‘ta hell, shithead!” The pigtailed spitfire promptly reared around and bit him. Shinji swore.

 

“Hiyori!!”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So here’s the new arc! This is a (tentative) double shot series, and as always, I hope some of you had enjoyed reading it. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this done before in our small little ShiYori community, but here is my take on what could possible happen if the inner Hollows of our favorite couple ever got to meet one another. (Sheer pandemonium, obviously.)

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

There’s not much information regarding Shinji and Hiyori’s inner Hollows, so I have to admit that I made up quite a few things on my own over here. For one, Pharaoh and Banshee are my personally coined monikers for the Shiyori!inner Hollow pair, and they were named for the unique formations of their masks, and also the different ways in which they both fire off their cero i.e. Shinji with a regal stance and through a resolute closed fist just like how a pharaoh clutches his scepter and stave, and Hiyori through a furious, rage filled scream, like a banshee, or at least that’s how I’m interpreting their style.

 

Also, their physical appearances (hairstyles, attires, etc.) are that of their hosts’ when the latter were still Shinigami, only (quite obviously) inverted in colors, since the inner Hollows were technically ‘born’ during that period of their lives when they were still in the Gotei 13.

 

Hope that makes sense.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

FYI, ‘Ouhi’ refers to Empress in Japanese. Despite the antagonistic relationship between the Hiyori and her inner Hollow, Banshee does recognize the fact that she has been defeated by her host, and that the latter is at the very center of her existence. That does not mean that they don’t hate each other to the core, though.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Also, psst... the omake has nothing to do with the chapter this time (it's actually a rejected draft, but I thought I'd share since it worked out pretty well as an outtake), FYI.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	27. My Hollow versus Your Hollow, Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3315

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

 **Created on:** 07/09/13

 

 **Completed on:** 11/09/13

 

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 16/01/14

 

* * *

**My Hollow versus Your Hollow, Part II**

* * *

 

When Shinji arrived on the scene a second later, Hiyori quickly greeted him with a smack upside the head.

 

“You’re late, damn hage,” she muttered as she frowned at the other blonde. “And why are ya in that shitty uniform like yer Hollow?”

 

The only thing different between the two was that Shinji had shorter hair with that stupid lopsided fringe, and his Captain haori and shihakusho were of the correct color and design.

 

Shinji looked exasperated. “Next time I’ll keep in mind ‘ta take my time and change into somethin’ more stylish and appealin’ before I rush over ‘ta save yer ass.”

 

Now, Hiyori was indignant. “I don’t need ya ‘ta save me from anythin’, dumbass!” She looked like she was going to hit him again, but then she changed her mind at the last moment and turned her attention back to the two inner Hollows a small ways ahead of them instead. The two spirits were engaged in battle, completely ignoring their hosts and staring down each other, currently stuck in a deadlock, reiatsu flaring in challenge as they glared dangerously at each other. Banshee took extra care to keep away from the larger male though; he was both fast _and_ strong, and she was instinctively wary of him.

 

Hiyori, too, was eying the baldy’s alter ego with great interest. She had never seen the inner Hollow of anyone else before, didn’t even knew that it was possible to actually do so until now, and therefore the experience was rather fascinating to her. Of course, the malevolent spirit that plagued her lover looked exactly like him, but its demeanor was so dissimilar it was almost his exact opposite. The devious, deranged grin, the narrow, bloodthirsty stare, the coldly maniacal, unstable air that surrounded it; no, it was nothing like Shinji at all, but the fact that it wore his face and moved just like he did – that same loose limbed, deceptively elegant yet lethal gait – made her feel extremely disconcerted and out of sorts.

 

“Shit, yer Hollow’s creepy as hell,” Hiyori commented in conclusion, and beside her, Shinji grunted, looking equally disgruntled as he surveyed the two Hollows before them.

 

“Like yers is any better,” he retorted in return, carefully studying her inner alter ego at the same time. Despite the immaculate white kosode and hakama that it wore, Hiyori’s Hollow counterpart still managed to give off a rather feral and extremely chaotic air. Like all Hollows, it possessed a wild, predatory nature that was impossible to hide, and that edgy, animalistic demeanor and hard, stubborn glint in those fierce eyes made it extremely dangerous even though it shared the same relatively petite size of its host.

 

So this was the Hollow that Hiyori had tenaciously battled and fought tooth and nail to conquer.

 

Shinji glanced warily at Pharaoh next. His Hollow was a certified sociopath – calculating, deliberate and highly manipulative – and it simply _hated_ to lose. There was an instinctive need within Hollows to establish a hierarchy of power amongst themselves, and it seemed to apply for inner Hollows as well, judging by the way his alter ego appeared rather intently fixated on the smaller female spirit on the opposite end of the bridge at the moment. However, if the latter was anything like Hiyori, then there was no way in hell that it would surrender easily to the larger Hollow. 

 

This was _not_ going to end well.

 

“This is a really bad idea,” Shinji muttered at last, mentally swearing at Kisuke even as he did so. Then, he wondered if injuries incurred to the inner Hollows in this plane of existence would be translated over to their hosts’ physical bodies as well. The mental swearing aimed at a certain irresponsible shopkeeper/scientist increased in fervor. “C’mon, we need ‘ta stop them from fightin’.”

 

Hiyori glanced at him. “Why?” she asked. “I wanna see them fight. Should be good ‘ta watch. That’s the whole point of this exercise, isn’t it?”

 

Shinji gave his petite lover a mildly disturbed look. “ _No_ , it’s not. Kisuke wanted ‘ta see if they can get along with each other, not let them kill each other. Our job is ‘ta make sure that doesn’t happen.”

 

The pigtailed blonde perked up with interest then. “So we get ‘ta fight each other’s inner Hollow?”

 

She sounded way too enthusiastic for his peace of mind. “ _No_. It means that ya get ‘ta control your own Hollow, and I’ll control mine.” The thought of Hiyori fighting Pharaoh was enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. His brat was strong, but she was also brash and incredibly hotheaded, and prone to rising to the taunting of her opponents. Simply put, his inner Hollow would figure out her weakness in an instant and eat her alive.

 

Hiyori scowled. “Why can’t I fight yer Hollow?” she demanded to know, starting to look mulish and annoyed. “Ya don’t think that I can do it, do ya? Ya have no faith in my abilities.”

 

This was not an argument that he wanted to get into (it never got anywhere and he never won no matter what he said), and so, in typical male fashion, Shinji quickly and tactfully changed the subject.

 

“Look. They’ve started already,” he abruptly pointed out.

 

Thankfully for him, his tactic worked brilliantly. Hiyori must have been half bloodhound in her previous life, for even though she was obviously aggravated with him, her attention immediately snapped over to their inner Hollows, and sure enough the latter duo was already engaged in battle.

 

Pharaoh lunged forward suddenly, aiming right at the smaller female Hollow, his arm pulled back in a quick, serpentine strike, his movements so rapid that he was a blur. Banshee rolled out of the way before he could make contact, leaping nimbly away and landing in a sideways skidding crouch, her burning cat-slit eyes narrowing with growing rage. His attack landed on the floor and completely shattered the surface with a small explosion and shockwave, sending bits of mortar and concrete flying all over the place – if she had let him hit her instead, his entire arm would have gone right through her chest and out her back, taking her internal organs and spinal cord with it.

 

The larger, predatory male did not even pause in his assault; adjusting his stance subtly, he pushed forward relentlessly and pressed her again, trying to catch her with his increasingly quick and complicated attack sequences. There was no time for Banshee to prepare any counter to his movements as she just focused all of her strength on evading him – her opponent was stronger and faster, and he clearly held all the advantage here.

 

But she was more agile and nimble, and the smaller female was relying purely on her reflexes and instincts to remain in this pretty much one-sided fight. Her anger at the other Hollow was mounting though, her reiatsu rising with her fury – she was just minding her own business when this shithead came out of nowhere and started challenging her. Even worse was the fact that he was obviously winning, exerting his superiority over her, and forcing her to submit. She was resisting with all of her might however, and he seemed merely amused by her efforts, much to her increasing agitation.

 

“Weak ‘lil bitch,” the long-haired Hollow purred even as she successfully fended off another one of his quick jabs. Cold grey eyes narrowed with sardonic glee. “ _I’m gonna enjoy evisceratin’ ya_.”  

 

Banshee flipped her lid. Within the blink of an eye, the smaller Hollow suddenly stopped retreating. In quick succession, she dodged under a blow from the larger male and abruptly came up close, using the advantage of her petite size to great effect in the tight quarters. Lithe and quick as a cat, she leapt in and locked her arms and legs firmly around her opponent’s torso, holding him in place as effectively as thick chains wound tightly around him. Her mouth opened, lips curled back, bared in a ferocious, soundless snarl.

 

The white visage of the momentarily trapped Hollow glowed an eerie red. Black slit pupils dilated with realization at the impending danger. Dense, lean muscles tensed in instinctual defensiveness, but it was too late.

 

Banshee quickly released the crimson cero from her mouth, and the compact but incredibly concentrated burst of destructive energy exploded right in his face. It held enough power to behead a herd of Menos Grandes, and it would be enough to take even a Hollow as strong as him down, especially at such close proximity.

 

The pigtailed, white-haired hollow released her target and dropped silently to the floor, her mouth still smoking slightly from her abrupt attack. Her eyes were cold and viciously vindictive, shining with victory as she waited for the smoke around him to clear. Had she managed to take off his entire head? There was no way that he could have survived that unscathed—

 

“ _That actually hurt_.”

 

Banshee froze at the hard drawl that came from the dissipating smoke. A ferocious, ivory bone mask stared back at her, resembling the namesake of its owner, slowly crumbling into dust now that it had fulfilled its purpose of shielding its master, revealing the face of the dangerous, coldly grinning Hollow. A thin trickle of black blood flowed down from his temple, and grey irises were stark with anger.

 

The smaller pigtailed spirit instinctively took a step back, but before she could go far, his arm snapped out and caught her by the throat, abruptly halting her retreat. Long, hard fingers wrapped around her slender neck, fingers digging into her skin. Banshee choked and gagged, hands coming up to claw ineffectually at the wrist of the strong male that was singlehandedly lifting her up, suspending her in midair. She writhed furiously to be let loose, but his hold on her was absolute and she could not break free. Desperate, she quickly opened her mouth to fire off another cero, but he simply squeezed harder, animalistic, predatory eyes locked coolly with her hunted, increasingly frantic ones, looking on with sheer, murderous pleasure as he slowly but surely crushed her windpipe in his hands.

 

The female Hollow’s struggles began to weaken. Her eyes started to roll into the back of her head, showing even more of the blacks of her sclera. He was going to _kill_ her.

 

Shinji had seen enough. Hiyori’s inner Hollow looked exactly like her, and as much as he held no affection for the spirit, it disturbed him significantly to watch his own likeness deliberately choking the life out of his lover’s doppelganger. Glancing askance at Hiyori to gauge her reaction to what she was seeing, the Shinigami Captain was unsurprised to see her looking rather fascinated _and_ agitated at the same time.

 

Hiyori was starting to get rather pissed off in fact, grinding her teeth and clenching her fists, but the reason for her anger was not what one would expect. Before Shinji could stop her, the short blonde suddenly shot forward towards the pair of Hollows locked in combat in a swift burst of shunpo, summoning her own horned masked over her face at the same time and launching a blindingly fast kick into the unprotected side of his Hollow.

 

The larger spirit was forced to drop his prey to avoid the bone crushing attack even as her mistress came forth relentlessly once more and followed up on her initial feint with a high velocity spin kick that caught him right across the face and quickly sent him flying. Hiyori landed in a low crouch, her eyes burning as she glared fiercely at the baldy’s inner Hollow. A small ways to her right, Banshee was on her hands and knees on the ground, heaving as she struggled to breathe through the pain of a partially crushed larynx.

 

Ochre met ochre.

 

“I don’t need yer help,” the female Hollow hissed hoarsely, nothing but anger in her fierce, belligerent tone. “This is my fight. Stay outta this, _Ouhi_.”

 

“I don’t give a shit,” Hiyori snapped back, at the same time pulling her mask to the side of her head to reveal her scowling features. “Yer embarrassin’ me. What the hell was that? How can ya lose ‘ta the baldy’s Hollow so easily?! And who says I’m helpin’ ya? If ya aren’t good enough ‘ta fight, then move yer useless ass aside and lemme show ya how it’s done.”

 

Banshee bristled with increasing fury as she stood up and stalked over to her host stiff legged. She glared at the equally petite blonde. “ _Back. Off._ He’s mine,” she hissed.

 

Hiyori just scoffed, and then she stared challengingly at her alter ego. “Read my lips: I. Don’t. Give. A. Shit. Ya should have fought harder, then. It’s my turn now – he’s mine now,” Hiyori taunted. “So _you_ back off.”

 

The white-skinned Hollow growled and looked dangerously close to attacking her Vizard counterpart. The mocking smile on the blonde’s freckled face welcomed her to try. For a brief moment, it was as if both females had forgotten that they were currently in the middle of a fight with another Hollow, and standing at the edge of the bridge, now bleeding sluggishly from the side of his mouth and his temple as a result from suffering the headshots of the two women, Pharaoh cocked his head in psychotic bemusement as he watched them quarrel over who got to battle him.

 

Shinji was not amused. Really, he didn’t know what he expected – he should have known that something like this would happen.

 

“Enough,” the Gobantai Taichou snapped harshly then, coming up to stand beside his spirit counterpart, flaring his reiatsu warningly to force the latter to stand down. “There will be no more fightin’. Hiyori, control your Hollow now.”

 

“Ah, _Helios, my Sun God_ ,” Pharaoh purred mockingly with exaggerated disappointment even though his glowing grey eyes were flat and mercenary. “Ya always have ‘ta ruin my fun.”

 

Shinji simply side-eyed the leering visage of his alter ego. He trusted the Hollow way less than he could throw him, and he never, _never_ failed to keep an eye on the predatory, unhinged being that shared his existence. That constant vigilance was what ensured his inner Hollow’s compliance, however reluctant, even though it was always watching, biding its time, waiting for the moment when Shinji would slip up.

 

Pharaoh also very quickly recognized the identity of the pigtailed blonde. “I see how it is…” He jerked his thumb almost playfully towards the latter’s inner Hollow, whilst looking amusedly at Shinji at the same time. “So she’s the bitch of yer bitch, Helios.”

 

With one careless sentence, he immediately incurred the wrath of a pair of indignant females.

 

“The only bitch here is ya, ya shitty Hollow,” Hiyori snapped back, bristling with affront. Suddenly, she had the most intense urge to pummel the baldy’s inner Hollow. If she thought that Shinji was annoying, then his Hollow counterpart was infinitely worse. The female Vizard was literally itching to lay the smack down on the insolent, long-haired spirit, and her inner Hollow growled, echoing her sentiments.

 

Pharaoh looked at the petite blonde and licked his pale lips. He appeared dangerously interested in Hiyori, mostly in part due to Shinji’s personal relationship with the feisty young woman. “Hey, Helios,” the black haori-clad Hollow drawled deliberately once more. “Lemme play with her. She must be _real_ fun, right? Such a delicate ‘lil body – her hot, red blood must taste _damn_ _sweet_. I’d promise not ‘ta break her, but ya know how I get _excited_ sometimes…”

 

Shinji’s eyes narrowed, but before he could do – or say – anything, a flash of white quickly slammed into the long-haired Hollow, with enough force to send him falling backwards and knocking him to the floor.

 

It was Hiyori’s Hollow, and she was furious.

 

“ _Shut yer damn mouth_ ,” Banshee hissed lividly. “That’s my Empress you’re talkin’ shit ‘bout. She’s _mine_. Lay one hand on her and I’ll tear ya open from neck ‘ta groin.”

 

Her ferocity was absolute, and the white-haired female Hollow looked fit to be tied. This time, it was her hands clamped firmly around his neck, small but strong fingers digging into the flesh of hierro hardened skin, threatening to rip his throat right out of him. Savage ochre met with coldly amused grey. However, the larger male was utterly relaxed and unthreatened despite his disadvantageous position.

 

“Ya will tear me open?” he purred slowly even as he raised his hands and closed them over her wrists. “A ‘lil weaklin’ like ya?”

 

He kept applying pressure until she was forced to release him in the end. Then, still holding her immobile, he very easily and swiftly reversed their positions, throwing her down suddenly and straddling the smaller female. She was the one pinned under him now, faster than she could even react, and it quickly occurred to her that this was his trap all along. She swore and struggled to be free, still refusing to submit to the stronger male. He brought his face close to hers, and she glared venomously at him, unafraid.

 

“Yer audacity amuses me,” the male inner Hollow declared at last with a wide, leering grin. “I wonder…do ya play as well as yer Empress, ‘lil bitch?”

 

“ _I’ll kill ya_ ,” the smaller Hollow howled dangerously.

 

“I kill ya, ya kill me – that makes it more fun, doesn’t it?” he remarked with a low, dangerous chuckle, and Shinji’s eyes suddenly widened at his alter ego’s abnormally…mild behavior.

 

Shit. Kisuke was right. Whether his Hollow was actively aware of it or not, he was being very tolerant of the other spirit, when usually he would have wasted no time brutally annihilating the weaker female.

 

Hiyori sidled up to him then, squinting at the two locked hollows even as she scowled. “Are they gonna fight or not?” she demanded to know, still having not caught on to what was going on yet. The petite blonde looked like she was going to wade right in to kick off the free for all, but Shinji grabbed her before she could actually do so.

 

“The purpose of this is ‘ta verify if they can establish a connection, not for them ‘ta kill each other,” he reminded her once again. “They’re communicatin’ – sort of – so just leave them be.”

 

Hiyori frowned at him.

 

“My hollow’s pinned under your hollow,” she pointed out grumpily, as if it personally offended her. “What kinda communication is that?”

 

Shinji shook his head. “He’s not attackin’ her anymore – I’ll consider that a success. He was probably demanding submission from her earlier – ya know how Hollows are, they need ‘ta establish a peckin’ order.”

 

Hiyori appeared even more ruffled then. “Are ya tellin’ me that yer hollow is dominatin’ my hollow?” She was definitely not happy to hear that notion at all. “Why must yer hollow be the one ‘ta dominate? Why can’t my hollow dominate?”  
  
Shinji could hardly believe that they were having this ridiculous discussion. His masculine instincts were also telling him that it had ‘DANGER: MINEFIELD’ warning signs plastered all over it, and that he should proceed with extreme caution.

 

“I’m not havin’ this conversation with ya,” he muttered flatly at last, looking at her exasperatedly as he did so. “Ya know _exactly_ how these things work, so stop tryin’ ‘ta pick a fight.”

 

Hiyori huffed, irritated at being called out so unceremoniously by the baldy. A glance at the deadlocked spirits showed that Banshee was firmly and completely trapped by Pharaoh, and even though the smaller female was still trying to fight him, he was simply not giving an inch. It was obvious just which of the two was controlling the situation, much to Hiyori’s disgruntlement.

 

“I still think that my hollow should dominate,” she grumbled at last.

 

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, brat. Just give it a rest already.”

 

* * *

 

** Omake **

“And that’s what happened,” Shinji relayed to Kisuke after they finally exited the artificial plane of existence and returned back to their own bodies an hour later. “Basically, they fought for dominance the entire while.”

 

“Hmm,” the bucket hat-wearing Urahara hummed in response, his shadowed eyes thoughtful as he processed the information that had been given to him. “They were fighting, but not very aggressively, you say?”

 

The Fifth Division Captain snorted. “I can’t gauge for other Hollows, but I don’t think that ours will ever be doing anything ‘non-aggressively.’” There was a pause before he continued again, more grudgingly. “Pharaoh seemed pretty entertained by the entire experiment though – and I believe that he finds Hiyori’s Banshee amusing. They barely paid any attention to us throughout.”

 

Kisuke looked interested at that.

 

“So he was fascinated by her?”

 

“More like he was playing with her – he tested her for a bit, deemed her acceptable for whatever reason only he knew, and then he was toying with her, needling and deliberately provoking her like a cat would a captured mouse.”

 

“And what was the response of Hiyori-san’s Hollow?”

 

Shinji was exasperated. “It’s _her_ Hollow, what do ya think? She’d happily rip him in two if he gave her the opportunity ‘ta do so.”

 

Kisuke smiled then, snapping his fan shut. “Excellent! So they’re indeed capable of bonding, after all!”

 

The fine-haired blonde looked incredulously at his friend. “Were ya even listenin’ ‘ta me at all, Kisuke?”

 

“Yes, of course, I did!” the ex-Twelfth Division Captain sing-songed. “Mutually antagonistic relationship, right? Does that not perfectly describe yourself and Hiyori-san? I don’t see why your Hollows would interact any differently.”  

 

Shinji just stared at the other man for a good, long while. Then, at last, he muttered. “Just because I’m unable ‘ta refute yer observation does not in any way mean that I agree with ya.”

 

If anything, Kisuke just appeared rather amused. “Well, thanks to you both, I’ve new data to work with now. Give me a week to process what I have, and then we’ll try this again.”

 

“ _Wait_. Wait, wait, wait,” Shinji immediately held up his hand. “What do ya mean by ‘again?’ Ya want us ‘ta do this one more time?”

 

To say that the Gobantai Taichou was not enthusiastic would be an understatement.

 

Kisuke nodded innocuously. “More than once, in fact. The purpose of the experiment is to see if we can foster a bond between the two inner Hollows of a paired couple. Of course they’re going to have to interact often in order for that to happen. I’m thinking of putting you lot in different scenarios to see what happens next.”

 

Shinji was starting to groan. “Damn it, Kisuke. You’re really enjoying this, aren’t ya?” he muttered disgruntledly. “Good luck convincing Hiyori ‘ta take part for the next one. She’s already pissed at me thanks ‘ta this.”

 

“Oh? What happened?” the tousled blonde enquired curiously

 

The Shinigami/Vizard hybrid appeared exasperated by the reminder. “She’s pretty sore over the fact that my hollow trounced hers soundly, so she’s not speakin’ ‘ta me right now. I keep tellin’ her that it’s hardly my fault that my Hollow is kickin’ hers around and ‘ta not take it personally, but ya know how she is.”

 

“I assume that she wasn’t all that amused when you pointed out that she was always kicking you around as well?” Kisuke enquired with a perfectly straight face. Shinji glowered at him.

 

“Ya know, ya don’t sound all that grateful for someone whose bein’ done a favor,” the Fifth Division Captain commented rather sourly then.

 

“Ah, my bad. I haven’t thanked you yet? In that case, thanks for taking one for the team for the sake of research. You know what they say; one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind – or in this case, soul kind.”

 

“…Next time, I’ll just point Hiyori yer way, and you’ll see how small her steps are, especially when they’re walkin’ all over yer face.”

 

“…I’m sorry. Please don’t do that.”

 

* * *

** Omake – Alternate/Random Outtake #2 **

 

Hiyori gaped. “What the hell’s he doin’?” she asked sharply then, and Shinji looked over to the two hollows once again. Pharaoh had brought his face nearer to the tensed, stiffened form of the caught Banshee, his head slowly lowering to her vulnerable, exposed neck in a parody of a lover, and then he paused, his mouth hovering mere millimeters from her white skin. Shinji’s eyes narrowed slightly with bafflement as well – was he _sniffing_ her?!

 

The pigtailed blonde beside him squawked suddenly.

 

“He’s lickin’ her!!” Hiyori sounded disbelieving. “What on earth does yer Hollow think he’s doin’?? Hage Shinji, make him stop!!”

 

The Fifth Division Captain was also rather surprised by his alter ego’s abrupt turnabout in behavior, and it was becoming pretty obvious to him what was going on by now. _That was…quick_.

 

It was also really strange to see the usually cold, murderous being behaving with such obvious, intent _lust_. And the female whom he had pinned under him was reluctantly submitting to him, grudgingly conceding to his overwhelming strength and power even as she was completely stiff and wary, anger and distrust warring with unwilling attraction and interest.

 

Hiyori gasped in outrage, looking rather disturbed and chagrinned, when she belatedly noticed the subtle change of tension in the air. “WHERE IS HE PUTTING HIS HAND?!” she bellowed right in Shinji’s ear, much to his wince of discomfort. “WHAT KINDA FIGHT IS THIS?!”

 

Shinji turned to the fuming and agitated woman and just stared at her in mild disbelief. Apparently, Hiyori was still under the false impression (thanks to Kisuke) that this was some sort of combat related training exercise. “What kind of fight do ya think this is?” he asked archly, and she started to flush when she finally realized where all this was heading.

 

“No way,” the smaller blonde mumbled at last in shock. It was quite obvious that Hiyori had not considered this possibility at all. “Th-They can-?”

 

“I’d imagine so,” he replied, sounding remarkably calm, all things considered. “They’re our doppelgangers – they certainly have all the working parts for it.” The Fifth Division Captain retorted, briefly eyeing their interlocked Hollows once more before concluding. “…And I also happen ‘ta think that this much is already enough – there should be sufficient new data to work on, won’t ya agree, Kisuke?”

 

There was a short pause, and then:

 

“Shinji’s right,” A familiar, lighthearted voice quipped from beside them. “Today’s experiment has indeed given me a few new things to consider.”

 

The couple turned to see the floating head of Urahara Kisuke slowly materializing from thin air, complete with bucket hat and all. He was also smiling with indecent cheeriness at them. Hiyori nearly yelled in surprise and had to restrain the urge to punt the head of her ex-Captain as far away from her as possible.

 

“WHAT THE HELL, KISUKE,” the petite blonde screeched instead, and Shinji just gave the tousled blonde a mildly dirty look for indulging in his favorite cheap thrill of deliberately doing things just to make his friends jump and squirm.

 

“I was wonderin’ when you were gonna show yourself, ya damn voyeur,” the fine-haired blonde muttered, completely unsurprised that the Urahara had also projected his consciousness onto this artificial plane as well, at least partially, judging by the fact that only his disembodied head was present. “Congrats. Your hypothesis appears ‘ta be supported by what we’re seein’ so far; they seem capable of bonding. Ya have yer analysis, and that should hold ya attention for a while at least – so we should stop here for now. Neither Hiyori nor I am prepared ‘ta see any further ‘affectionate’ bonding between our inner Hollows yet.”

 

True enough, the young woman in question looked utterly stumped by the possibility. “What affectionate bonding?” she demanded then, slowly and finally cottoning on to the fact that something was not right here. She also seemed to finally register Kisuke’s words. “This is another stupid experiment of yers?!! Ya said that this was a trainin’ exercise!”

 

“It is a training exercise, Hiyori-san,” Kisuke defended then. “It trains your inner Hollows to get along better with each other. Training, see?”

 

Hiyori looked like she really wanted to kick in Kisuke’s stupid floating head then, but her lover caught her before she could go ahead and do so. When she turned on him with a ferocious glare, he merely replied. “We still need him ‘ta get outa here, brat, so control your temper for now.”

 

Hiyori reluctantly simmered down, but then the ex-Twelfth Division Captain just had to add fuel to the fire.

 

“Are you sure you don’t want to stick around and observe what might happen next?” he enquired innocuously. “After all, even though Hollows are sterile by nature, they can certainly mate and experience the sensations that come with it, though they can’t produce any offspring.”

 

Hiyori was gaping in shock by now, it having not occurred to her that something like this could happen. Her stymied gaze caught Shinji’s then, and the latter raised his hands in the universal ‘don’t shoot, I’m unarmed’ sign when he saw the increasingly indignant light in her catlike ochre eyes.

 

“Don’t look at me like that. I’d no idea ‘bout this either. …S’not as if I wanna see our Hollows gettin’ it on, ya know.”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So, this is the second part of the Hollow!arc, and as always, I hope you readers have enjoyed reading it. Also, if the ending seems pretty abrupt – well, this isn’t the end, to be honest – it’s more like a prelude. Anyway, I still have plans to further explore this particular plot, but that will come later, so just keep that in mind for now.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Shinji’s inner Hollow refers to him as _Helios_ , the Sun God. There’s actually a reason for this. In ancient times, Egyptian pharaohs would worship the Sun God above all the other deities, and I thought it would be fitting for Pharaoh to address his host as such, since technically, Shinji _is_ his entire world, his god.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

FYI, only the first omake is related to main story plot of this arc, whereas the second bonus alternate omake is the same as the one from the previous chapter – simply a discarded draft that worked pretty well as an outtake (I think).

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

New arc next chapter!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	28. Love is Patient

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3063

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

**Created on:** 11/09/13

 

**Completed on:** 12/09/13

 

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 26/01/14

 

* * *

**Love is Patient**

* * *

 

Shinji came awake silently and instantaneously the moment his senses registered the presence of an intruder in his living quarters. Lying on his stomach on his futon, his body remained perfectly relaxed and still, betraying no sign of his seamless transition to consciousness even as his hand soundlessly crept out from under the covers to grasp the hilt of Sakanade, which was resting by his bedside.

 

He slowly opened his eyes and was promptly greeted by the pitched darkness of his room. There was the stealthy but unmistakable rustling of movement coming from the direction of his closet, of all places, and for a brief moment, Shinji wondered which idiot was foolish enough to attempt to rob a Gotei 13 Captain in his sleep.

 

Then, there was an abrupt thud, like what one would hear when accidentally stubbing a toe, quickly followed by the sound of muffled, hissed swearing, and quite suddenly, the mysterious identity of the unknown perpetrator (whose reiatsu had been tightly guarded the entire while) was revealed. Shinji immediately recognized who that potty mouth belonged to, and sitting up abruptly, mild surprise colored his husky, sleep-laced voice as he spoke out.

 

“Hiyori, is that ya?” the fine-haired blonde switched on the bedside lamp and squinted at the now unmistakable figure of his petite lover. Then, he glanced briefly at the clock sitting beside his bed to check the time – it was nearing three in the morning. Looking back at her, he asked. “What are ya doin’ over here in the middle of the night? Did somethin’ happen?”

 

She did not reply, at least not right away. Hiyori finally located and retrieved the old, comfortable dress shirt of his that she had claimed for her own use whenever she stayed over at his place. Shrugging out of her jacket, she proceeded to strip down to her plain cotton panties in a quick, matter-of-fact fashion, and then she pulled his shirt over her head, the material engulfing her slender, waiflike body, large enough to reach down to her knees and threatening to slip down one of her shoulders. Leaving her discarded clothes in an untidy heap on the floor, she finally padded over to him on bare feet, at the same time reaching up and freeing her light blonde hair from its pigtailed confines and removing the clips from her fringe. The fluffy, shoulder length strands framed her face and softened her slightly tense and haggard features, and she came to a stop at the edge of his futon.

 

“Can I sleep here tonight?” she asked then, and the slight stiffness in her tone caught his attention, his golden eyes sharpening as he studied her briefly. She was obviously on edge, her body language rigid and uncomfortable, and even though he was curious about her unexpected visit, the cranky look on her face stilled his tongue and kept his questions at bay. Shinji simply pulled back the covers in invitation.

 

“Don’t be stupid; ya don’t even need ‘ta ask,” he told her, and she climbed onto the futon and slipped under his quilt, burrowing into the soft bedding and making herself comfortable before he switched off the lights and doused the room in darkness once more. Shinji settled back in beside her, and before he could do anything else, she turned to him and prodded him to move to his side, facing away from her. Bemused by her demand, he complied, and she wiggled over to him, draping herself along his back, her arms slipping around his middle as she pressed herself close. She was spooning him, he realized belatedly, or rather, jetpacking off of him since she possessed such a short stature, and he could sense her relaxing slowly as she curled into his lean, rangy form. She pressed her face into the back of his shoulder, breathed in his clean, comforting scent, and sighed.    

 

The tension in her body gradually ebbed away, and she nuzzled him quietly after a while, calming under his presence and contentedly absorbing the wonderful heat he exuded. Shinji shifted as if to turn back to her then, but her grip tightened stubbornly around him, refusing to even let him move, and quite obviously, this was her way of letting him know that while she wanted to be near him and was even happy to wrap her arms around him in affection, she didn’t necessarily want to be held by him in return, not this evening, at least. He didn’t mind being her source of comfort, and so he easily conceded to her wish, remaining where he was and lying on his side. He peeled one of her arms from his torso and brought it up to his mouth to lightly kiss her hand though, and she drowsily tried to swat him away. 

 

“Go ‘ta sleep, dumbass,” she whispered croakily. She quickly dozed off, apparently exhausted from her late night/early morning jaunt into Seireitei, and after a while, he joined her in slumber.

 

The next morning, he woke up to her tucked snugly in his arms, her face pressed into the crook of his shoulder to keep out the light of the dawning day. She was completely dead to the world, so deeply asleep that she did not even stir when he carefully untangled their limbs and extricated himself from her embrace. He left her in bed under the covers as he went about his morning ablutions, and he had just put on his shihakusho and was fixing his white neckwear in front of the mirror when Hiyori finally showed signs of rousing, stirring slightly as she very reluctantly returned to the land of the living.

 

Shinji glanced at the unhappy lump on his futon from the edge of his peripheral vision at the same time as deft and elegant fingers quickly finished tying his cravat and then secured the neat, simple arrangement with a small, silver slide. Picking up his robe from the coat hanger on the side, he shrugged it on over his uniform and did up the buttons easily as he walked over to the bed. He sat on the edge of the mattress and uncovered the tousled blonde head from underneath the quilt, and then he reached out and with his hand and stroked his lover’s hair.

 

“Hey,” he greeted softly, his fingers brushing lightly against her forehead as he tried to smooth out the small grimace of discontentment on her face. She looked a bit pale and wan, and she also appeared bleary eyed and abnormally lethargic. He was mildly concerned. Hiyori was not a morning person by any measure, but she was also usually a lot feistier (and by ‘feistier’ he meant ‘more aggressive’) than this; in fact, her behavior right now reminded him of the times when she was on her –

 

It suddenly occurred to Shinji what was wrong with her. Mentally backtracking and crosschecking the dates, he realized that it was her time of the month again – the timing fit perfectly.

 

“Are ya on yer period?” he enquired abruptly then, and in response, she just shot him a tired but still deadly glare – if that wasn’t a confirmation, he didn’t know what was.

 

Besides, she was on the pill, and that ensured her previously erratic cycles were clockwork regular; if he remembered correctly, then this would be the second day of her flow. She was such a tiny little thing, and possibly due to her petite stature and slight form, she usually suffered from stomach cramps during her monthly. She typically chose to take care of things herself though, too independent (and too moody) during that phase of the month to want intervention from anyone, but this time must have been pretty overwhelming, if she had chosen to seek him out for comfort – it certainly explained her unexpected visit last night.

 

He petted her hair once again in sympathy of her uncomfortable condition, and then he stood up. “I’ll be right back,” he told her, and he swiftly left the room. Ten minutes later, he came back in, and she looked so miserable curled up in a small, shivery ball there that he really felt sorry for her. Kneeling beside the futon, he set the tray that he had carried in with him on the bedside table and grabbed the bottle of painkillers sitting on it, popping open the lid and pouring out a couple of the tablets onto the flat of his palm. He offered them to her wordlessly, and she immediately took them and put them into her mouth, slowly sitting up on the mattress as she did so, huddling under the quilt and appearing rather pitiful. He passed her the mug of steaming ocha that he had prepared next, and she accepted that as well, gratefully taking in slow, deep draws of the fragrant brew, starting to feel a bit more alert as the blessed drink slowly warmed her from the inside out.

 

Shinji studied his lover’s pale features critically, and she still looked rather fatigued and anemic to him, much to his increasing apprehension. “Do ya want me ‘ta get someone from the Yonbantai ‘ta take a look at ya?” he asked, and she immediately shook her head.

 

“I’m feelin’ fine,” she told him in a low grumble. “I’ll be good as new after a nap.”

 

He looked pretty skeptical by her flippant reply. “Are ya sure?”

 

She gave him another basilisk glare then, already highly irritable from her discomfort – and his repetitive questions weren’t helping alleviate her bad mood whatsoever. He backed off on that issue wisely. “Alright.” There was a pause, and then he asked, “S’there anything else that ya need?”

 

She shook her head slowly, returning the empty mug to the tray and then sinking back onto the mattress like a defensive armadillo. Pulling the comforter up over her head, she settled amongst the nest of soft bedding and pillows before glancing groggily at him. “Don’t ya have ‘ta work?” she asked grumpily.

 

“Depends,” he replied, still eyeing her closely. “Do ya need me ‘ta stay with ya?”

 

She started to look annoyed once again. “I don’t need ya ‘ta baby me,” she muttered in annoyance, apparently regaining a bit more of her usual spirit now that she had had some hot tea. “Just go ‘ta work, or I’m goin’ back ‘ta the Living Realm right away.”

 

She definitely did not need him constantly breathing over her shoulder – surprisingly enough, the baldy could be quite the worrywart, and she was not going to have any peace and quiet if he continued to stick around to mother-hen her.

 

He frowned slightly at her testy reply. “No, brat,” he told her decisively. “Yer stayin’ until yer feelin’ better.” Before she could take offense to his highhanded behavior, he continued, his tone softening slightly – conceding. “But I’ll leave ya ‘ta rest for now. Summon me if ya don’t feel too good – I’ll keep a lookout for your reiatsu flare.” 

 

It really wasn’t a request despite his wording it like so, especially not with the tone he used. But she knew that this was as much as he was willing to give in to her, and so she reluctantly agreed.

 

“Yeah, alright,” she mumbled crossly. “Now quit bossin’ me and go boss around your lackeys instead. I wanna go back ‘ta sleep but yer keepin’ me awake with yer endless yappin’.”

 

Shinji appeared equally exasperated with her moodiness, but he knew better than to voice his opinion on the matter. Instead, he left to refill her mug with more tea and brought back the entire teapot with him this time, and then he reminded her to take another dosage of painkillers later, setting the alarm clock so that she would not oversleep and miss the time for her medication. She just curled up on his futon and grudgingly allowed him to fuss over her, by now resigned to the fact that he wasn’t going to leave until he was done nagging her, and the sooner she wanted him gone, the faster she should let him finish without any additional interruptions on her part.

 

Still, he continued to linger after he was done making her as comfortable as he possibly could – even though he was already running late.

 

“Are ya absolutely sure that ya don’t need me ‘ta stay with ya?” he asked, and Hiyori promptly reached the end of her patience.

 

Sitting up abruptly, the short-tempered (and now increasingly red faced) female reached for the nearest item her hand could grab and lobbed it at her lover with all of her might. It was a book that he had left on the table, and it hit him right in the head with a loud, satisfying smack. “DAMN HAGE!!” she bellowed with aggravation, the sound of her displeasure deafening enough to echo through the entire barracks of the Fifth Division. “I’M MENSTRUATING, NOT DYING!! LEAVE ME ALONE ‘TA BLEED IN PEACE, SHITHEAD.”

 

She looked like she was about to climb out of bed to boot him out of his living quarters herself, and at last, Shinji decided that Hiyori was likely a lot more energetic than he had initially assumed.

 

“Alright, alright,” he quickly placated her. “I’m leavin’ now, so just stay put over there,” he ordered her, and her eyebrow twitched in reaction. He backed out of the room really slow-like – the way one would when being stared down by a ferocious and temperamental lioness – and Hiyori didn’t stop scowling at him until he was out of her line of sight. Unfortunately, less than a minute later, he popped back in again, and Hiyori felt like she was ready to get up and strangle him then.

 

“Keep yer panties on,” he told her somewhat sheepishly before she could open her mouth to yell at him some more. “I need ‘ta collect Sakanade and my haori.”

 

She watched him grumpily as he strode over to the wall hanger and retrieved his Captain cloak, quickly shrugging on the outer robe of his uniform that signified his rank in the Gotei 13. He was also still in possession of the book that she had chucked at him earlier, and so he went up to the bed stand (very cautiously) to return it to the table. At the same time, Shinji took the opportunity to retrieve Sakanade from the sword stand and secured it to his side, and then he glanced at Hiyori from the corner of his eyes – despite her overall prickliness, she looked so fragile and vulnerable to him, and as always, he could not quite keep his protective instincts at bay when it came to her.

 

He slowly sank to a crouch beside his petite lover. Hiyori tensed, starting to growl under her breath, but he ignored her tetchy demeanor and reached out for her all the same, his large but narrow hands coming up to frame her cheeks and tilting her small face up to his own. He leaned forward slightly and touched his forehead to hers, and then he sighed.

 

“I can’t help worryin’ ‘bout ya,” he admitted to her, his tone wry but solemn. “Sorry, brat, but even if ya hate me for it, this is not somethin’ that I can stop – or wanna stop, for that matter.”

 

His comment was completely sincere and lacking his usual idiocy, and just like that, her defensive bristling subsided somewhat. She was still frowning slightly at him, but she no longer looked like she wanted to rip out his entrails and hang them around his room for decoration.

 

“Ya worry too much, moron,” she muttered at last, but she did not resist his touch. It also made her extremely uncomfortable – and really shitty – that he was _apologizing_ for caring; that was never her intention, and for some reason she was suddenly feeling very upset with herself for being such an utter and complete bitch. Without a word, she freed herself from his hands and proceeded to turn her face into the side of his neck, feeling so stupidly emotional and not in control of her madly fluctuating moods at the moment. Damn frickin’ hormones.

 

It was a good thing that he seemed to understand her more than she understood herself sometimes, and he simply stroked her hair and angled his face down slightly to kiss her forehead before nudging her to lie back onto the futon. He drew the covers all the way up to her chin and tucked her in, and she reluctantly submitted to his tending.  

 

“Rest,” he told her firmly, and she looked at him with exasperation. “I’ll be back in a while ‘ta check up on ya.” 

 

“Ya don’t have ‘ta, and I don’t need ya ‘ta,” she mumbled in response.

 

“Yeah, well, I wanna do it, and I’m more than happy ‘ta do it, so just indulge me.”

 

Shinji stood up, made sure that she had everything that she would need well within her reach, before leaving to start off another day of work overseeing the Fifth Division as its Captain. Hiyori watched him go, and then, _finally_ , it was peaceful and quiet once more. She was nice and snug under the covers, the fast acting painkiller that she had taken earlier was already working to dull the insistent pain wreaking havoc in her lower abdomen, and she felt fuzzy, calmer and increasingly drowsy. Shinji’s familiar scent surrounded her like an additional layer of comforting cocoon, and she slowly drifted off to slumber once again.

 

When she woke up two hours later, she opened her eyes to a tray of piping hot rice congee waiting beside her mattress with a short, handwritten note appended on its lid. It was clearly her baldy’s work, and the note with his masculine handwriting quickly confirmed the fact. Like before, he reminded her to take her medication on time later, and to finish the porridge before going back to bed to sleep some more. He was very obviously nagging her again, but this time around, she didn’t quite seem to mind as much.

 

Being fussed over and cared for every once in a while was actually pretty nice, Hiyori realized belatedly.

 

And, also, it was difficult to muster irritation when _all_ the proof was right here, sitting before her eyes – she could see it, feel it, sense it – it was simply undeniable.

 

She was _loved_.

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So, this is the new arc, and FYI, it will span four chapters. This arc is dedicated to a dear friend and fellow ShiYori fan, PrettyPleaseWithSugarOnTop. If I still remember correctly, she had requested a prompt involving sick!Hiyori some time back, and this was my response. Well, Hiyori is more uncomfortable and moody and achy than actually sick here, but I thought that it’s a close enough approximation, and besides, this is an interesting topic that is rarely pursued, and so here we are.

 

After all, poor Hiyori is going through a type of misery that most of us women are very familiar with, and whichever of you finds this subject gross or disgusting; well, I don’t think you are mature enough to be reading smut fics in the first place, then.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

To the readers who were wondering how come Hiyori’s not pregnant yet from all the, er herm, _lovin’_ that our favorite couple has been up to, well, I hope this chapter clears up the confusion. Our girl’s on the pill, and even as it serves as birth control, it also has the side effect of regulating a woman’s ovulation cycle, which Hiyori needs because she suffers from a highly irregular cycle due to her petite stature and skinny size. At least that’s my L &T!headcanon for her.  

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And yes, Shinji tends to mother-hen his lover whenever she’s in pain and/or in distress, as you can see in this chapter. I think he’s probably the most demonstrative out of all the other male leads in all of my OTPs, and that it’s really sweet of him to fuss over his lover so, even though Hiyori may not necessarily agree, hahaha.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	29. Love is Kind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3413

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

**Created on:** 14/09/13

 

**Completed on:** 15/09/13

 

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 25/04/14

 

* * *

**Love is Kind**

* * *

 

When Shinji returned to his living quarters at noontime to look in on his lover, he half expected to find her still napping docilely on his futon – she had certainly looked quite miserable earlier in the morning, and she was such a petite, scrawny thing that it always looked to him as if a good gust of wind would blow her over. He knew quite rationally that she was obviously a lot stronger than that, but a quiet Hiyori alarmed him (for that meant she was either not feeling well or up to something, both of which were not particularly good news for his peace of mind), and he’d rather have his usual violent, loudmouthed brat if he could help it.

 

As expected, she was still curled up in bed when he quietly let himself into his room, but she sensed his presence all the same and started to stir, her eyes mere slits as she lifted her head from the bedding and squinted at him groggily. She looked completely out of it for a brief moment before she started to focus on him, and then she slowly pushed herself to sit up, slouching slightly as she sat there bewilderedly and blinked owlishly at him.

 

“What time izit?” she mumbled then, and he came up to her, sinking down into a crouch beside her and studying her carefully. She still looked a bit pale, but was still significantly more well-rested than earlier that morning.

  
“A little past noon,” he answered her at last. “Are ya feelin’ any better?”

 

She nodded grudgingly after a while. He moved his hand from its resting place in the opposing sleeve of his haori and reached over to brush away a lock of her sleep-tousled hair from her face.

 

“Still hurts?” he asked, his voice gentling in sympathy.

 

She started to frown at his incessant questions, but she reluctantly responded all the same. She nodded again. He started to look concerned, but she spoke up before he could make a big deal out of her physical discomfort. “I just feel achy and sore,” she muttered. “It’s gonna last throughout the entire period, and I’m already used ‘ta it – s’no big deal.”

 

Shinji looked like he wanted to beg to differ, but he could tell that she was starting to get irritable again, and so he simply changed the subject.

 

“Is there anythin’ ya want, then? Anythin’ that I can do for ya?” Like earlier, he was obviously willing to volunteer his services to see to her needs, but she looked at him like he was crazy.

 

“I ain’t an invalid,” she told him grumpily. “I still have workin’ hands and feet – I can get things done on my own.”  
  
He was being so damn obliging and nice to her though, that it was increasingly hard to snap at him like she usually did. Not that he wasn’t like that normally (he was, but only a lot less blatantly so) – he just had the tendency to baby and cosset her when she was injured or in pain. He had always looked out for her, even back when they were all seated officers in the Gotei 13 a little over a century ago, and now that they were finally in an intimate relationship, he was becoming more demonstrative in his protectiveness of her.

 

Hiyori did not necessarily dislike being taken care of by her lover, but she was feeling grouchy and just wanted to be as difficult as possible at the moment. Throwing aside the covers, she made to crawl past him out of the futon, but before she could do so, he simply reached out and grabbed her. Sitting down on the mattress, he pulled her onto his lap and just held her. Hiyori immediately turned and tried to hit him, but he dodged her fist and just gathered her even closer, stilling her struggles and kissing her cheek to placate her. He promptly received an indignant slap for his efforts, but allowing himself to be hit by her apparently did the trick of soothing her ruffled feathers, and she reluctantly settled down in his arms eventually.

 

“I swear, yer such a troublesome, ornery, pain in the ass,” he muttered in an exasperated fashion, and she bristled slightly before he leaned down and kissed her again. “But yer my pain in the ass, brat, and even though I’m fully aware that yer more than capable of doin’ things on yer own, I still wanna help ya out – just lemme, alright?”

 

She glowered lightly at him, but he ignored her touchy mannerisms and continued. “So, let’s try this again,” he proposed. “What can I help ya with?”

 

It was at the tip of Hiyori’s tongue to turn down his offer, but then she suddenly remembered that she was in a bit of a pickle right now. Still, she was pretty reluctant to voice out her problem.

 

“…I forgot ‘ta bring a spare change of clothes,” she mumbled at last. She had been pretty hasty in her decision to go to the baldy’s side late last night, compelled by a blind, instinctive need to seek out the comfort of his presence. Tense and uncomfortable from the unceasing cramps and usual bodily aches that always came with the first day of her period, she had rolled out of her bed in the Vizard Warehouse in the early hours of the morning when she could not stand the discomfort any longer, roughly shucking on her tracksuit and stumbling off to the nearest available Senkaimon to Seireitei, where he was. She really hadn’t been thinking much beyond the driving urge to go to her lover and let herself be soothed by his warmth and scent, and therefore she had not brought anything with her at all.

 

Shinji raised a brow at her somewhat awkward reply. “You can use mine like what yer doin’ now, until I can get yer clothes washed and dried,” he remarked, not seeing the problem. This was what she normally did whenever she slept over anyway, and he was also pretty sure that she had a clean set of panties stashed somewhere in his closet, so he was somewhat bemused that she was suddenly bringing this up now.

 

Her scowl deepened slightly. “I didn’t bring any _toiletries_ ,” she emphasized, starting to get more agitated. His eyebrow climbed higher. Since when did she tote toiletries _anywhere_??

 

“Ya can also use mine, just like ya always do,” he drawled dryly, wondering if she was just deliberately trying to be willful again. He must have had said something wrong, much to his mild bafflement, for she abruptly glared at him then.

 

Hiyori had been trying to be subtle about her feminine needs, but apparently the dumbass was completely thick in the head as usual.

 

“I can’t use what ya don’t have, moron,” she snapped. “I need fresh sanitary pads. Do ya have those stocked in yer toiletry set too?”

 

She looked quite piqued that he was making her spell it out for him, but he spied embarrassment on her lightly flushed face as well. This was obviously mortifying for her.

 

“…no, I don’t have those,” he replied slowly at last, though sounding remarkably calm as he did so. “Sorry, I wasn’t thinkin’.”

 

He released her and allowed her to leave his embrace. She quickly climbed onto her feet, and he also stood up as well.

 

“Go and take a warm bath or somethin’, and take yer time,” he told her as he started to leave the room. “I’ll be back before ya even know it.”  
  
She stared at him. “Where’re ya goin’?”  
  
He paused in his steps and glanced askance at her. “Didn’t ya just say that ya need those hygiene products?”

 

Hiyori nodded slowly, a mild look of confusion fleeting across her face. “Yeah…” Realization occurred to her. “Yer gonna ask yer men ‘ta go get some for ya?”

 

Shinji barely refrained from rolling his eyes. “Yeah, because buyin’ my girl’s intimate items’ somethin’ I task them with every day,” he muttered with light sarcasm. “ _No_. I’ll get ‘em for ya myself, stupid.”

 

He was being so utterly casual and matter-of-fact about the whole thing that she was a bit bewildered by his lack of a reaction. She had half expected him to at least sputter with chagrin or look completely uncomfortable, but he wasn’t even making a fuss, not even a small one. Then, her mind abruptly registered what he had just said.

 

“Yer gonna get ‘em?” she echoed in disbelief. “For me?”

 

“ _Yes_ ,” he replied, eying her oddly. “Do ya have ‘ta look so surprised?”

 

Suspicion immediately filled her. “How come yer so calm ‘bout this?” she retorted then. “Have ya done this before?”

Hiyori was suddenly very outraged at the notion of her lover going tampon shopping for other women. Shinji just stared ludicrously at the abruptly angry female.

 

“Who is she?” the petite blonde demanded fiercely then, a surge of fury roaring through her. “I’m gonna kill her.”

 

“ _What_?” The Fifth Division Captain had to hurriedly reach over to stop his irrationally pissed off significant other from grabbing her zanpakuto and charging off to threaten random, poor, unsuspecting women. He was also having a bit of trouble following her abrupt leaps of logic. He quickly wrestled Kubikiri Orochi from her grasp before she could unsheathe the katana and start waving it about. “Who’s _who_?”

 

“That fuckin’ bitch whom yer tampon shoppin’ for!!” Hiyori growled ferociously, much to his rising disbelief. “Lemme go, shithead!! Yer gettin’ it next after I’m done with that man-stealin’ hussy!! And ya better cough out her name right now!!”

 

It began to occur to Shinji why she was so agitated; _she was jealous_. He had the urge to chuckle at her indignant fury, but he didn’t think that she would appreciate him laughing at her right now. “For heaven’s sake, brat,” he told her instead. “There’s no other woman. Yer more than enough for me ‘ta deal with, and yer givin’ me way too much credit if ya think that I still have the energy and the time for other women. And just for the record, contrary ‘ta whatever yer imaginin’, I’ve never shopped for feminine hygiene products before – I’ve never had the need or the inclination ‘ta do so – this is the first time, alright?”

 

That quieted her down slightly, but she still looked quite irritated, and her eyes were fierce and possessive when she looked at him. “Listen up, baldy!” she barked, flashing her little fang as she did so and pointing imperiously at him at the same time. “Yer mine now, and I ain’t sharin’. If ya think ‘ta have any of yer ‘first loves’ on the side, I’ll pull yer innards out through yer nose and then I’ll go and fuck that bitch up, I swear ‘ta god.”

 

She was really angry – and completely serious – and even though he knew that he shouldn’t be encouraging her, he could not help but smile crookedly at her ire. “Yeah, I hear ya loud and clear.” There was a pause as he watched her with exasperated fondness, and then he continued. “Also, have I told ya before that yer really cute when yer jealous?”

 

She scowled at him. “Don’t make me kick yer teeth in,” she muttered, and then all the hot air seemed to abruptly flow right out from her, leaving her feeling strangely, suddenly, tranquil. Tired too, but also tranquil.

 

“Feel better now?” he asked wryly, seemingly understanding her need to vent her tension. She frowned at him. Shinji lifted a brow, and she started to look a bit grumpy again.

  
“Hiyori,” he called her name quietly then, and he waited patiently until he had her full attention, until she noticed the steady calmness in his voice and demeanor, before he spoke again. “I won’t ever cheat on ya, do ya understand?”

 

It really wasn’t a question, not really, not with the tone he said it in.

 

And she understood. Of course she did. She had always known that he was not the type to cheat – she would never have consented to being his if she did not trust him wholly and utterly. She was just shooting off at the mouth in a fit of temper as usual, and this was his way of calling her out on it, and it was far more effective than any amount of furious yelling or angered arguments could accomplish collectively.

 

As always, he just knew her all too well.

 

Hiyori swallowed hard and looked away from him, staring at the floor instead. At last, she silently nodded once, slowly.

 

His gaze softened at her unspoken submission to him, and then he reached over and kissed the side of her head with unbidden affection.

 

“Alright, then,” he told her tenderly. “Go and take that hot bath. And relax. Lemme take care of everythin’ else, okay?”

 

She glanced up at him in a slightly skeptical fashion. “Do ya even know what I need?” she asked then, and he suddenly seemed to recall seeing entire rows of feminine hygiene products of every type, size and brand in supermarkets. Belatedly, Shinji began to realize that this self-appointed task of his might just be a bit more difficult than he had originally assumed, but he could always improvise – he was pretty flexible like that.

 

“Ya have some left over in yer room back at the Vizard Warehouse, haven’t ya? I’ll use ‘em as samples and get the ones like those. Worse come ‘ta worse, I can always consult Lisa. She’ll have some idea even if I don’t.”

 

His plan was a pretty sound and logical one and there was nothing about it that she could protest about. Hiyori looked at Shinji. Same as before, he appeared perfectly unperturbed and unflustered over having to run this sort of awkwardly sensitive errand for her even when she herself felt rather iffy about the whole thing, and slowly, it began to occur to her that perhaps he was willing to do all this for her purely because he loved her, and this was simply yet another manifestation of his loyal, enduring affection.

 

Suddenly, Hiyori felt completely ungrateful and undeserving of this man. A strong surge of awful guilt inundated her, further destabilizing her already precarious emotions. Biting her lips to keep them from trembling, she lowered her gaze and fixed it to the floor once more, feeling extremely vulnerable and upset with herself again. Shinji was always so gentle and patient with her whereas she was always such a complete bitch to him. One day, she was sure that he was going to realize just how ugly and flawed she was both on the inside and on the outside, and he would decide that he was sick and tired of putting up with her terrible tantrums and violent mood swings, and then surely he would leave her. Just the mere thought of that scenario was enough to cause her throat to close up and make her flinch with rising anxiety – he had been by her side for so long that if he ever decided to walk away, she was certain that she would be completely and utterly lost without him.

 

Hiyori shuddered, growing increasingly distressed at the notion. Shinji studied her shadowed features briefly.

 

“What is it? Are ya hungry again?” he asked, guessing at the most probable cause behind her feelings of discontentment. “I’ll get ya somethin’ on the way back later, so wait for a bit more.”

 

That was the final straw that broke the camel’s back.

 

The petite blonde felt her eyes begin to water, her nose tingling something fierce, and a muffled sob choked its way past the large lump clogging her throat. Despite her best efforts not to do so, Hiyori bowed her head and started to quietly cry.

 

Shinji was alarmed. His brat was not the type to suddenly shed tears for no good reason whatsoever, but here she was, her small shoulders shaking silently, unending droplets of saline rolling down her cheeks piteously as she continued to stare at the floor with her huge eyes.

  
“What’s wrong?” he asked immediately, concerned, reaching out to her and hooking long, elegant fingers under her chin to lift her small, tear dampened face to his. “Are ya in pain again? Look at me, luv.”

 

Hiyori brushed away his touch and shook her head. She also quickly swiped at her dripping eyes with the back of her hands, and she backed away from him, disoriented and unsteady from her emotional outburst. “I’m leavin’,” she announced thickly then, her voice wobbly – she was obviously quite upset. Turning, she barely remembered to pick up Kubikiri Orochi before she started to stumble clumsily towards the door, though she did not manage to go beyond a few steps.

 

Predictably, her lover caught her before she could run out on him, and for a very good reason.

 

“If ya think that I’m gonna let ya go anywhere in yer current state of mind, then somethin’ is obviously very wrong with yer head,” he told her, tugging her back and reeling her into his arms to keep her from trying to pull free from him. Besides, she was only dressed in his shirt and she didn’t even look like she had noticed her lack of proper attire. He lifted his hand to her face and wiped away her tears with the pad of a callused thumb, and his attentive action made her quiver even more. Hiyori sniffled loudly, trying to bring herself under control but with little success.

 

She looked so damn miserable that Shinji really felt for her.

 

“Is yer stomach hurtin’ ya? Stay here; I’ll go get Kotetsu Fukutaichou ‘ta come over ‘ta take a look at ya-” Before he could finish his words and turn to leave her, she grabbed him, quickly shaking her head once more and cutting him off.

 

“No,” Hiyori told him outright. “I don’t need ‘ta see a healer,” she insisted gruffly. She was still feeling slightly dazed and ridiculously weepy, but she clearly knew what she wanted. “Stay.”

 

She still craved to be near him, even when the dawning realization that she had become so dependent on him scared her so very much, made her feel completely vulnerable and exposed. After nearly three years of being in an intimate relationship with him, it had only just occurred to her the sheer extent of power that this man standing before her now held over her head – he literally possessed the ability to kill her without even having to lift a finger to do so, and all he had to do was just _walk away_. She was weak and completely susceptible to him and it was her own fault for letting him in so close that if he were to decide to leave her now, then he would surely rip out a sizeable chunk of her to take along with him, and Hiyori didn’t think that she would survive that experience.

 

This was not quite what she had pictured a relationship with the baldy to be like, but it was clearly too late for her to back out now – she was already in too deep – and the petite female was growing increasingly lightheaded, very close to having a panic attack as she inwardly dealt with her personal revelation as best as she could.

 

Shinji frowned down at his lover; she looked rather pale, and she was also clutching onto his kosode so tightly that her knuckles were bone white.

 

“Hiyori.” He instinctively tried to soothe her – for some reason, she was extremely skittish and she also looked like she was about to bolt at any given instant. He combed his fingers slowly through her tousled blonde hair and tried to calm her. “S’alright. I won’t ever let anythin’ happen ‘ta ya.”

 

Even without knowing what was upsetting her, he still knew exactly what to say to reassure her.

 

She finally lifted her gaze to meet his, her eyes darkened and dilated. He really was both her blessing and her bane, slowly but surely taming her with his generous and enduring brand of love, and really, there was only one thing left for her to do – to have him as tangled and as caught up in their relationship as she already was.

 

“Shinji,” she uttered abruptly then, wearing an incredibly raw, needy expression on her face. “Make love ‘ta me.”

 

* * *

  _::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Apologies for the super late update – I was really busy with life and my other projects/responsibilities, so L&T got put on the backburner a little and I admit that I had also lost a bit of momentum when it came to updating this fic. No worries though, everything is still good and my ShiYori muse is strong as ever – just sorry for making you guys wait.

 

To all my wonderful, lovely readers who have continued to send me their support and positive reviews (you darling sweeties know who you are), thank you so much for not giving up on me – I’m still far from done with L&T (we will be breaching 50 chapters at the least, FYI), so do hang tight and please bear with me a little longer!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Nothing much to note for this chapter, so I’ll just end things here.As always, thanks for reading!! Until next time!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	30. Love Never Fails - Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 4718

**Rating:** M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!!**

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

**Created on:** 16/09/13

 

**Completed on:** 21/09/13

 

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 18/05/14

 

* * *

**Love Never Fails – Part I**

* * *

 

 

Shinji stared at her for a good, long while. She looked back at him with those big, feline eyes that he could never quite say ‘no’ to.

 

She was being perfectly serious.

 

“Are ya sure?” he blurted out then. “Ya really wanna do it _now_?”

 

He sounded somewhat flabbergasted, not that he could be blamed. Just a mere minute ago she had been crying all over the place and she had also looked to be on the verge of an anxiety attack – and he still had no clue what had suddenly set her off. A short while before that, she had been all agitated and yelling at him over her imaginary love rival, but now she had quieted, and she also seemed to be expecting his attention. Shinji was more than happy to give it to her if that was what she wanted, but she didn’t seem all too stable right now, and so he hesitated.

 

Hiyori nodded though, and she pressed closer to him. “I want ya,” she muttered unabashedly, and he studied the earnest expression on her face.

 

“Aren’t ya in pain?” he asked slowly. “Won’t that hurt yer body even more?” He wasn’t going to consent to doing anything that would make her feel even worse than she already was right now, that was for sure.

 

Hiyori shook her head. “Don’t know,” she mumbled in response to his second question. “Don’t care.”

 

And she clearly didn’t, for her hands were already restlessly running over his chest, slipping under his haori and trying to unbutton the white robe he had on beneath it. She was obviously desirous of him, craving direct skin contact with him, but he quickly grabbed her roving hands before she could get too far. Somebody had to remain clearheaded enough to act as the voice of reason, and as usual, that somebody was him.

 

“Alright,” he told her. “I’ll make love ‘ta ya. But first,” he quickly untangled himself from her hold, placed his hands on her shoulders, and swiveled her around. He gently frog marched her across the room. “Go and take that bath. Wind down and relax your muscles. Meanwhile, I’ll go pick up what ya need – I’ll be back real quick, I promise.”

 

He all but stuffed her through the door of the adjoining bathroom and then he swiftly shut it behind her before she could voice out any protest of his plan. Then, the almighty and powerful Gobantai Taichou swiftly hightailed it out of his living quarters like he was being chased by the hounds of hell.

 

While Shinji wasn’t completely ignorant when it came to the inner workings of a woman’s body, he also wouldn’t claim to be an expert on the subject either. He wasn’t entirely out of his element when it came to dealing with a moody Hiyori, but he was still lacking enough information that he felt like he was cautiously tiptoeing through a minefield now that she was being so sensitive and vulnerable during her time of the month – one wrong move on his part and she was going to explode right in his face.

 

It was time to get an expert opinion.

 

* * *

 

 

Lisa looked blankly at Shinji over the edge of her manga after he had finished regaling the situation.

 

“So, basically, Hiyori’s feeling emotional and horny, and you have no idea how to handle her,” the bespectacled female summarized calmly. The golden-haired man nodded.

 

“She’s waitin’ for me back in my rooms,” Shinji muttered, and then he looked at Lisa for her input. The ebony-haired Vizard turned a page of her book before shrugging.   
  
“I’m not seeing the problem here, Shinji,” Lisa remarked calmly at last, even though her ex-leader gave her an exasperated glower.

 

“Were ya listenin’? She wants me ‘ta make love ‘ta her,” he pointed out more obviously this time. “What am I s’posed ‘ta do? I _can’t_ just say no.”

 

“Then don’t,” Lisa replied sedately. She eyed the agitated male curiously then, and realization abruptly occurred to her. “You’ve never had sex with her before on her period, have you?”

 

Shinji turned a dull red at her remark. “She’s uncomfortable and in pain,” he uttered stiffly, indirectly affirming her suspicion. “How am I s’posed ‘ta touch her like that?”

 

“It depends on the situation,” Lisa answered then. “Does she want your attention?”

 

“Her wantin’ ‘ta make love was the whole reason why I’m here in the first place. I won’t be askin’ ya ‘bout this matter otherwise,” Shinji stated. Lisa ignored him and continued.

  
“Then, do you want to have sex with her?”

 

The fine-haired blonde shot the female Vizard a disgruntled look. “What kinda question is that?” he demanded.

 

Lisa looked at him flatly, as if he was a complete moron. “It’s a simple yes or no question. I’m sure you can put together an appropriate answer if you think hard enough,” she deadpanned, though Shinji was unamused by her dry wit.

 

“Hiyori’s the woman I love – of course I’m always gonna want her,” he grumbled. “That’s not even an issue at all.”

 

“So you’re just concerned that you’ll hurt her?” Lisa concluded in questioning confirmation. “And here I thought that you were just being unreasonably squeamish over a bit of menstrual blood – you shouldn’t be anyway; it’s great lube, you know.”

 

That was definitely _not_ what Shinji wanted to discuss with Lisa. “I’m not squeamish,” he quickly interrupted before she could say any more. “I just wanna know if it’s okay ‘ta give in ‘ta her desires.”   
  
“Well, if you both want it, I don’t see why not,” the ex-Lieutenant of the Eight Division shrugged. “Some women become hornier when they’re having their period, and intercourse during that time isn’t going to hurt her in any way – in fact, sexual stimulation and orgasms can help to relieve her cramps, so you’re actually helping her, not harming her.”

 

He was not aware of that. “So, it’s okay then?”

 

Lisa shrugged again. “If you’re both fine with it, then go ahead and go wild.” The bespectacled female studied her friend briefly. The man was, as always, incredibly attentive towards his lover. Lisa could only imagine what he’d be like if the couple ever had children. “Is that all you’re here for?”

 

Shinji shook his head and simply held up a plastic bag of feminine hygiene products. “I picked up some stuff for Hiyori on the way – she needed them.” And really, that was all that mattered. He was pretty calm and matter-of-fact – there wasn’t even a single trace of embarrassment on his face. “I think I got the right ones, but the promoter was advertising another brand that looked really effective as well. Do ya think I should go back and get those too?”

 

He started to launch unabashedly into the pros and cons of the product that he had just mentioned, now seemingly the leading expert on womanly hygiene after only a single trip to the feminine needs aisle of the supermarket. Lisa eyed the blonde warily.

 

”…you really _are_ completely whipped, aren’t you?”

 

* * *

 

 

Hiyori was still in the bath when Shinji returned from his very quick visit to the Living Realm and the Vizard Warehouse. The fine-haired blonde put away the items that he had brought back with him and then, after a brief pause of consideration, he shed his haori as well as the white robe he wore directly under it, hanging them up on the coat stand in his bedroom instead. He also undid his cravat and set it aside with the accompanying silver slide on the dresser before slowly approaching the adjoining bathroom in his plain black shihakusho. Knocking once, he slid open the door and let himself into the modest chamber; Hiyori was already hunched over in the steaming waters of the ofuro, and she watched him hazily – lulled to a tranquil and semi-drowsy state by the comforting heat of the bath, her body now quietly relaxed.

 

Her ochre eyes sharpened at the sight of him though, and she slowly grew alert with interest. Their gazes met.

 

“I got ya yer things,” he told her then. “I bought us lunch too. Ya wanna have at it first?”   
  
She just continued to stare at him. Then, she slowly shook her head. It was pretty obvious what she wanted – she hadn’t changed her mind at all from earlier and her craving for him was still as strong as ever.

 

Shinji regarded her steadily for a while. She was calm and clear minded now, no longer as agitated as before and completely lucid and in control of her rationality. Still, he asked, “Are ya sure?”

 

He obviously wasn’t only enquiring about the food. Neither was she. She nodded, her catlike eyes glowing softly with expectation and feminine desire.

 

As always, he could not quite deny her wishes when she was looking at him like that. “Alright, then.”

 

He started to undress himself, his hands going to his hakama-himo and undoing the ties with long fingers, and she watched him attentively as he stepped out of his hakama and fundoshi and calmly shrugged off his kosode and shitagi, revealing his rangy, whipcord lean frame and graceful, masculine figure. Resting her arms on the edge of the ofuro, Hiyori shamelessly admired her lover’s body with blatant appreciation, from the broadness of his shoulders to his narrow hips and long lanky legs, enjoying the subtle play of his elegant form, the ripple of his sleek abdomen and the way his sinewy thigh muscles bunched slightly as he moved.

 

Shinji tossed his discarded clothes in the laundry basket in the corner of the bathroom, and then, instead of joining her straightaway, he opted for a quick rinse in the adjacent shower stall, habitually washing away any perspiration and grime of the day before he finally approached the ofuro. Having her full, focused attention on him was both extremely flattering and arousing, and he especially enjoyed the way her beautiful eyes darkened with hungry passion as their gazes met.

 

Hiyori started to rise as he neared, but he reached her first and leaned over to kiss her, stilling her movements and then nudging her to sit back down. She tasted like the fresh mint toothpaste she had used to brush her teeth earlier, and her pupils were dilated when he pulled back, staring at him needily. He moved to step into the tub, but she made a sound of protest.

 

“Don’t come in,” she quickly tried to deter him. She looked somewhat embarrassed at the same time. “The water’s all dirty.”

 

It wasn’t difficult to guess the reason behind her unusual reticence, and suddenly, she seemed rather insecure. Just to soothe her, he gave the clear water that she was in a brief, cursory glance before drawling. “It looks clean enough ‘ta me.”

 

She looked like she wanted to say something in the negative, but he simply continued. “Gimme a bit of credit here, brat. If I can handle bein’ splattered by the blood of my enemies during battles, then this is nothin’.”

 

“It’s not the same,” she muttered, and he agreed, taking advantage of her preoccupation with him to slip fully into the warm water.

 

“Of course it’s not the same,” he concurred, reaching out to frame her face with his hands and tilting it up to his so that he could establish eye contact with her. “Yer my woman, Hiyori – I’m not gonna be disgusted with ya just ‘cause yere havin’ yer monthly bleed. That’s just ridiculous. If yer really so worried ‘bout this, then we’ll clean up later.”

 

Besides, it wasn’t even as if she hadn’t bled on him before, though she probably didn’t remember much of the experience. A fleeting, considerably traumatic memory of her dying in his arms after being brutally bisected by Ichimaru Gin’s Shinsou briefly crossed his mind before Shinji resolutely banished it from his thoughts. Drawing his face down to hers, he kissed her again, taking his time to thoroughly explore the warm cavern of her mouth, coaxing her into play with him. It didn’t take long before she slowly started to react, distracted from her unease by his unhesitating affection, kissing him back with increasing fervor and moving her mouth eagerly against his.

 

She was such a passionate little thing, and she swiftly got over her initial hesitation once she realized that he honestly did not give a hoot about her current, less-than-immaculate self. After all, if he obviously did not mind, then neither should she. Hiyori’s confidence was quickly restored, and she was very soon pressing up against Shinji once more – her increasing need for him overriding any apprehension she might have had felt in the beginning. He had barely settled into the ofuro and already she was all over him, crawling onto his lap and rubbing her lithe, slick body up against his larger form. She stroked his chest restlessly and pulled away from his mouth to nip lightly at his jaw, straddling his hips as she ducked her head and licked away the tiny droplets of water at the side of his throat. Then, she latched her mouth over the spot where his neck and shoulder met, suckling slowly but insistently, her touch growing more sensual and deliberate as her hands slipped under the bathwater, drifting lower down his torso.

 

Shinji groaned at her enthusiastic response, and he curled an arm around her middle to tug her closer, his fingertips caressing the bare skin on the side of her waist and her hip with reciprocating affection and want even as his other hand lightly massaged her thigh. She was nibbling at his clavicle by then, purring softly with pleasure, arching slightly into him, basking in their shared physical contact with each other. Her fingers drew restless patterns over his lower abdomen before they finally closed around his erection – he was already turgid and heavy with desire, and she fondled and squeezed him with her small hands, dragging a husky moan from his lips.

 

He wanted to feel her as well, and he leisurely moved his hand higher up her leg, rubbing her slender limb with amorous intent as he went. She tensed slightly as he neared the apex of her thighs, still feeling slightly skittish, before relaxing after a bit and allowing him to touch her as he pleased, showing her trust in him in the only way that she knew how. He turned his head and kissed her cheek softly, and she trembled as the callused pad of his thumb brushed slowly against her clitoris, and her breath hitched at how very sensitive he made her feel. Her face instantly suffused with color, and potent arousal thrummed through her veins, heady and powerful.

 

She buried her face into his neck and simply gave in to the pleasure of his ministrations, and he was so incredibly gentle that she was quickly reduced to a quivering mass in his strong, reassuring arms. She was extremely responsive to his stimulation, and little whimpers and pants escaped her as he continued to touch her intimately, using his expert knowledge of her body to drive her wild. Hiyori quickly felt like she was about to go utterly mad with sexual tension, her hips twitching helplessly into his hand as she bit lightly into his shoulder and squirmed against him – gasping when she felt the increasing, pleasurable tingles radiating from the pit of her belly.

 

Lifting her head to meet his gaze, she strained upwards to kiss him, licking the seam of his lips wetly before sliding her tongue past to engage his. She stroked his pierced appendage with fervent passion and increasing sexual excitement, sucking sensuously at his mouth with infectious, unrestrained zeal even as her hands continued to touch and massage his arousal, eager to drive him to the same feverish pitch that she was reaching due to his skilled, familiar ministrations.

 

As always, Hiyori was so damn openly wholehearted and transparent about her emotions and desires that it was downright impossible for him not to be affected by her ardent want of him. The lustful way she caressed him with her knowing fingers, the scent of her, the intent glow in her catlike eyes as she looked at him, the feel of her body pressed against him, even the taste of her – they all teased him and lingered in his senses and just made him crave her even more. Apparently, she must have felt the same, for she suddenly pulled away from his mouth to look at him, an incredibly sexy expression of need sitting on her small, beloved face.

 

“Shinji, now,” she whispered, her bright, passion-glazed gaze fixed raptly on his. “Make love ‘ta me _now_.”

 

She was requesting so sweetly that he could not quite deny her – did not even want to deny her, for that matter. “Ya sure ya really want this?” he asked one last time, obviously still concerned by her physical condition despite the desire already lacing his low tenor, and she simply responded by kneeling astride him and rising up slightly from his lap, knocking his hand aside as she positioned herself over his rigid arousal. She looked at him.

 

“Do ya want me ‘ta beg?” she asked bluntly. Before he could respond to that, she continued. “Because I will. I need ya so damn bad. _Please_. Love me.”

 

She was both matter-of-fact and earnest at the same time; her large ochre eyes locked with his own golden ones, her voice quavering with the strength of her passion for him, this fierce and proud little rebel of his – _his_ brat – and just like that, he was completely captivated by her all over again.

 

“Silly girl,” he replied huskily, lowering his face to her upturned one to brush an affectionate kiss across her reddened lips. “I’m already all yers.”

 

Shinji leaned over closer and kissed her once again, this time more intimately, parting her mouth and delving into the soft, moist warmth with his tongue, even as his large but narrow hands spanned her tiny waist and he gently eased her down upon himself. She shuddered when she felt the tip of his erection brush against the slick folds between her legs, and then he started to penetrate her carefully, the wide, mushroomed head of his hard length parting her taut, inner walls inch by painstaking inch as he slowly sheathed himself inside of her.

 

Hiyori emitted a quiet little keen as she arched slightly, trying to adjust to his presence. He filled her out wholly, and the sensation was exquisite. Her body felt extremely sensitive at the moment and her inner muscles twitched helplessly all around him as he remained completely hilted within her. Hiyori could not seem to stop quivering; he made her womb ache slightly, but the mild twinge was nothing compared to the stark pleasure and the intimacy that she was also experiencing at the same time.

 

Everything felt amplified to her at that moment, from the hot water lapping against her skin to the feel of Shinji’s pierced tongue rubbing against hers as he kissed her languidly. Hiyori was quickly overcome by her own feelings and desire. She pulled herself even closer to her lover on instinct, curling her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his lean hips, her movements simply serving to sit him even deeper in her, and she whimpered at the knee weakening sensation. Flushed and incredibly restless with growing lust and sexual excitement, Hiyori broke their kiss to hide her face against his neck instead, nuzzling him blindly at the same time.

 

“Ya okay?” Shinji asked in a low murmur by her ear. She simply nodded, and then she occupied herself by kissing the side of his throat with amorous affection, wordlessly giving him her permission to continue. He anchored her to him with a strong arm around her waist, and, after pressing a chaste kiss to the side of her head, he began to move, making love to her with such gentle thoroughness that it took her breath away.

 

He was being so utterly tender towards her, touching her like she was the most precious, cherished being in the world, and keeping his head low, he whispered words to her even as he continued to rock slowly against her, words that let her know how much he adored her, words that were specifically meant to sooth her hidden insecurities, words that firmly pledged himself to her. The experience shook Hiyori, and in her highly charged state, the smaller blonde slowly came to the sobering realization that there was no man whom she would ever come to love as much as this one, and the sheer depth of her affection for him, her powerful urge to return his intimate avowals with her own, quietly overwhelmed her.

 

Her hold on him tightened minutely, and she seemed to cling to him even more, as if trying to express her feelings for him through physical contact. Hiyori bit her lips until she nearly broke skin, and she felt so vulnerable and utterly aware of Shinji at that moment, exhilarated, and, at the same time, apprehensive as well. She lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him then, her ochre eyes glowing with the strength of her emotions as she stared at his aristocratic, angular features.

 

“Shinji,” she whispered harshly, already breathing hard from their mutual sexual exertions. “I…”

 

The words were lodged in her throat for some reason, and refused to come out. Hiyori tried again. “I-”

 

She still could not say it. At last, frustrated, she just shook her head and leaned in to kiss him hungrily instead, and he reciprocated in kind, slanting his mouth against hers again and again in passion as they both continued to move together in this age old dance of Time.

 

There was something particularly endearing about the way Hiyori was responding to him today, that much Shinji could discern. She was typically fiery and demanding whenever they made love, but this time around, she was also being quite… _docile_ and _loving_ – if that was the correct way to describe her behavior – at least even more so than she usually was. Even though he was aware that her current behavior was likely influenced by the hormonal fluctuations that accompanied her monthly flow, he could not quite deny that he was very much enjoying sharing this intimacy with her all the same. It seemed that her period also made her even more sensitive to physical stimulation, and she greedily lapped up every single touch and caress he lavished on her.

 

He reached up to cup her breast with his hand and she pressed herself into his hand rather obligingly and eagerly. His fingers lightly teased her tender nipple, gently plucking at the rosy nub, and she shook like a leaf in his arms, her breath hitching sharply with pleasure even as she contracted hard around him in automatic reaction, her inner muscles rippling helplessly around his arousal and eliciting a low grunt from him. She was even more responsive and demonstrative than usual, her body so slick and warm and welcoming, and he was having trouble remembering just why he had even hesitated when she had wanted him to make love to her earlier. The way she rubbed up sinuously against him, the distracting snugness of her tight channel, clasping around him with such possessiveness whenever he separated from her, and then hungrily drawing him back deep inside of her with his every slow thrust; she was simply intoxicating.

 

Hiyori curled her arms tightly around her lover, breaking away from his mouth to lean her forehead against his shoulder instead, her lithe, slender body heaving helplessly as she sensed herself drawing nearer to her orgasm. Her thighs clung low around the sides of his narrow waist, squeezing him with restless urgency as her movements quickened against him, and he helped her along by slipping his hand down between their bodies, his index and middle fingers rubbing at little pink bud of hypersensitive nerves sitting between her legs, and she went increasingly stiff against him, a breathy cry of his name escaping her mouth.

 

“S-Shinji!!”

 

A bead of perspiration rolled down his temple, but the golden-haired male simply kissed the crown of Hiyori’s head and continued with his sensual ministrations. “It’s alright, luv,” he told her huskily. “Come for me.”

 

She was shaking finely, her breathing coming harder and faster, her nails digging into the lean muscles of his back, her actions more frantic –instinctively straining for release – and then, quite abruptly, she simply came apart in his arms. She froze, her face pressed into the side of his neck, her eyes squeezed shut, her legs locking tight around his middle, and the fierce tide of her climax hit her so strongly that her vision went white for a few precious seconds. She clamped down on him hard, her sleek inner muscles working furiously to milk him of his essence, and his jaw muscles jumped as he purposely resisted the erotic persuasions of her small, incredibly taut body.

 

Moments later, Hiyori was still panting, her limbs weak and unsteady from her orgasm, when Shinji started to move anew, slow and deliberate strokes that sparked renewed slivers of lust through her highly sensitized body, sinful pleasure igniting once more across the nerve endings that lined her twitching inner passage. The smaller blonde moaned quietly; the mild ache of her insides further accentuating the decadent sensation that he was bringing her again.

 

There was nothing exotic or particularly fancy about his lovemaking this time, but he made certain to love her so wholly and thoroughly, worshipping her with his hands and mouth and body, that she was left quickly undone once more, breathless and quivering in his arms. Hiyori gasped and reached up blindly to meet his mouth with her own in a wildly passionate kiss, and he finally allowed himself to succumb to her charms, his hips surging into hers and merging their loins together one last time, sliding home deeply before he finally spilled himself into her sore womb, muffling his low groan of release against her hair.

 

They were both breathing hard from their exertions, and Hiyori could not seem to stop trembling no matter how hard she tried, just as she could not seem to peel herself off of her lover. She was suddenly, _amazingly_ , demonstrative and affectionate, and she was kissing his lips, his jaw, nose, cheeks, eyelids – just about everywhere on his face – until he stilled her with his hand on her chin and kissed her back deeply until her frenetic urges passed and she slowly calmed against him once more.

 

His narrow, half lidded golden eyes simply watched her steadily when he let her pull away from his mouth, and it made her feel as if he could see right through her and realize her most deeply guarded feelings and emotions. She felt extremely self-conscious then, but before she could separate from him and scramble out of the ofuro, his arm around her waist tightened slightly and he dropped a kiss on her forehead, this one completely chaste and lacking the carnality and previously frenzied, unfulfilled lust of their earlier exchanges, but still every bit as intimate as each and every one of his gestures to her.

 

“Ya feelin’ alright there?” he asked quietly then, studying her face intently once more. She just looked rather well loved to him at that moment, her catlike eyes bright and her lips red and kiss swollen, her features glowing from their lovemaking, though she seemed unusually quiet and reticent today. She no longer appeared as tense or as uncomfortable as earlier; in fact, she was more relaxed and tranquil now, and her body leaned pliantly against his – she even seemed content to remain with him, at least for a little while.

 

In response to Shinji’s question, Hiyori started to nod slowly after a moment’s pause, but then, she ruined it midway by letting out a large yawn, clearly still wrung out by the unpleasant upheavals of her conflicted body. She blinked lazily at him, and he chuckled softly, taking advantage of her post-coital docility to quickly nuzzle her cheek with unbound affection.

 

“C’mon. Let’s get outta here.”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

For those who are wondering, yes, it is entirely possible to have sex during a woman’s period, but of course this is up to individual preference. Obviously no one is going to force you to do it if you don’t want to, but I’m just saying that there’s nothing wrong at all with having penetrative sex during that time of the month. In fact, some women do get hornier during their monthlies, not to mention sexual stimulation and orgasms are also scientifically proven to help relieve menstrual cramps, FYI. Seriously guys, I’m not pulling these facts out of my ass this time. Go forth and Google, my fellow fascinated perverts!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

To be honest, I have actually been itching to write period!smut for a while now, but obviously this is a sensitive topic and not exactly everyone’s cup of tea. Yes, the subject of menstruation is ‘disgusting’ and ‘’taboo’ and not for the squeamish and fainthearted, but on the other hand, I’ve always believed that if you truly love somebody (as Shinji clearly does Hiyori and vice versa), then this type of issue is really completely insignificant and shouldn’t matter at all. I hope that I have managed to portray that in this chapter at least, and I also dearly hope that I’ve managed to pull off this smut in a somewhat decent and tasteful fashion (hahaha, oxymoron). Whichever way, just tell me what you think!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Also, I really don’t believe that blood will faze Shinji very much, seeing that he sees plenty of that in his line of work. Can you imagine how disgusting it is to be drenched in the blood/gore/guts of your enemies? Following that line of thinking, a tiny bit of menstrual blood doesn’t even compare, IMO. So there. At the same time, Hiyori, due to her small stature and scrawny form, is usually a very light bleeder (at least that is so for my headcanon of her), so it isn’t as if she’s gushing blood from between her legs, Jesus.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

And yes, Shinji _really_ dotes on Hiyori. Can you tell? I think I mentioned this in passing before, but he probably is the most demonstrative lover out of all of my male muses, haha.

 

Oh, and I’m still looking for a Hiyori to play with my Shinji on tumblr RP - so many ShiYori plots, but no one to play them out with! Message in if interested!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!! Until next time!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 


	31. Love Never Fails - Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3132

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

**Created on:** 22/09/13

 

**Completed on:** 22/09/13

 

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 31/05/14

 

* * *

**Love Never Fails – Part II**

* * *

 

 

Placing both of his hands on her small waist, he easily lifted her off of him in a swift, effortless motion and then he sat her on the edge of the ofuro instead. Without the water pressure to keep her flow in check, a small trickle of blood started to seep out from between her legs once she was out of the bath, and Shinji noticed immediately. His gaze locked with hers.

 

“Did I hurt ya?” he asked, his entire demeanor quickly sobering. His fingers reached down to lightly touch the traces of crimson fluid with no embarrassment or revulsion, and she was both flustered and put at ease by his reaction at the same time. She swatted his head halfheartedly.

 

“Don’t be a dumbass,” she muttered, her freckled cheeks rouging slightly. “I was already bleedin’ before that.”

 

Hiyori swung her legs around and eased her feet onto the floor, grimacing slightly at the mild twinge of discomfort that her movement caused. She gingerly walked over to the sink countertop to collect some tissues to temporarily clean up her mess with, and Shinji rose out of the ofuro after her, rivulets of water sliding off of his lean and toned torso and down his sleek, muscular thighs and legs. The smaller blonde ignored her lover and merely grabbed the bathroom cleaning supplies that she had found in the cabinet under the faucet, and he gave her a skeptical, slightly disbelieving look.

 

“What do ya think ya doin’?” he asked at last. She gave him a small frown for asking the obvious.

 

“I’m gonna clean out the ofuro, obviously,” she uttered. “Go shower and get outta my way.”

 

She was perfectly serious, and an exasperated expression crept onto his face. She was being very fastidious and particular all of a sudden, and she was very determined to clean up after herself. He was equally determined to take care of her, and that obviously did not include having her play maid, no matter how stubbornly she insisted – he was pretty sure that he could out stubborn her when it came to this. He stepped in and wrested the cleaning supplies out of her protesting hands and quickly set them aside before she could go ahead and start an impromptu spring cleaning session in his bathroom.

 

“How ‘bout ya lemme worry ‘bout that later, and let’s both take that shower now?” he suggested, but it really wasn’t a suggestion, not with the way he was already herding her into the adjacent stall beside the tub. Not surprisingly, she immediately resisted, starting to scowl mulishly at him as she did so.

 

“Yer babyin’ me again,” she accused crossly, and there was a warning note of impending tantrum in her tone. “I don’t need ya ‘ta treat me extra special and I can clean the goddamn ofuro if I wanna.”

 

She was starting to get grouchy again, but he was too used to her touchiness and knew exactly what to do – and say – to placate her.

 

“Of course I know ya can,” he agreed calmly. “But there’s no need for ya ‘ta do so when I can perform the task just as well. And don’t be stupid; of course I’ll treat ya extra special – yer my girl. I’m gonna baby ya every chance I get; that’s my pleasure and privilege as yer lover.”

 

He was being so reasonable and matter-of-fact that she could not quite find fault with his simple logic. Shinji nudged her under the showerhead, adjusted the temperature knob, and turned on the water. They showered quickly, and then, before Hiyori knew it, she was wrapped in a soft and fluffy white towel and firmly guided out of the bathroom. Shinji let her know where she could find the hygiene products that he had bought for her earlier before he slid the door shut in her face – a clear dismissal and unspoken indication to ‘keep out’ if any – and a little irritated by his bossy, somewhat highhanded demeanor, she went off to get dressed.

 

Sure enough, she found the sanitary items still in their plastic bag on the dressing table in the bedroom. The dumbass had actually bought way more than she needed, but she supposed she had to award him points for effort – he got the correct products, the brand she always used, and there was even the one that had recently been launched in the market and she had been interested in trying out but hadn’t gotten around to getting it herself yet. Hiyori ripped open the packaging of the new brand, picked out a pad, threw away the sterile wrapper, and slapped the napkin on the crotch of the spare change of panties that she had kept stashed in Shinji’s closet. She dried her body thoroughly with the towel before stepping into the leg holes of her underwear and pulling up the elastic waistband snugly around her hips.

 

Her stomach was rumbling rather disagreeably with hunger then, and she recalled that the baldy had also mentioned something about buying food earlier. Slinging the towel around her neck, the female Vizard wandered out to the living area and over to the connecting kitchenette to investigate for anything remotely edible, and she quickly found the bento sets that he had brought back. The takeout was from one of bento shops in Karakura, well known for its delicious creations, and Hiyori was already salivating at the notion of the impending meal.

 

The petite blonde tossed the bento sets into the microwave to reheat them quickly, and she was just setting out the food on the table when her lover emerged from the bedroom, already impeccably dressed in a fresh set of the shihakusho, though still lacking his white robe and outer haori. His hair was also still slightly damp from his shower, and he was barefooted as he padded towards her. He raised a brow at her state of undress, but she was too hungry to care about what he thought. He sighed, and then he turned around to go back into the bedroom to get her something to wear. He came back out less than a minute later, and he made her take his shirt – her clothes were still in the process of being cleaned, after all.

  
“Brat, as much as I really enjoy the lovely view and the wonderful prospect of ya walkin’ ‘round my rooms in nothin’ but yer underwear, please show some consideration for my division members who may be droppin’ by later. Also, I’d rather not share ya with anyone, so please put on the shirt.”

 

She frowned slightly at him. “I don’t know why yer so particular. All my lady parts are covered,” she muttered disgruntledly. He was quite prudish when it came to her modesty though, and so she grudgingly gave in to him this time, aware that he wasn’t going to back off from this issue and the sooner she satisfied his demand, the faster she could get back to her meal. Dropping the towel on the floor, she took his shirt and pulled it over her head haphazardly. “There. Ya happy now?”

 

“Yes. Very. Thank you.”

 

She frowned at his dry tone, but held her tongue – barely. He sat down on the zabuton cushion on his side of the low table, and they quickly dug in after giving thanks for lunch. Hiyori was ravenous, and so conversation was kept to a bare minimum as they both focused on their food. In fact, neither spoke until the meal was concluded, and the petite blonde all but licked the plastic container clean before she was sated.

 

“Why are yer lackeys droppin’ by later?” she asked then, once there was no longer any food to distract her.

 

“Because I’ll be workin’ from here for the rest of the day, obviously,” he replied. “Ya still hungry?”

 

Hiyori thought briefly about it, but she shook her head. “Nah. I’m good,” she told him automatically, before her brain rewound his words and she looked perplexed. “What do ya mean ya will be ‘workin’ here for the rest of the day?’”

 

He shrugged. “The exercise drills have already been concluded this mornin’. Momo-chan’s overseein’ this afternoon’s practice spars – it’s a paperwork day for me either way, and nobody’s gonna care where I do it as long as it’s completed and filed by the end of the day, least of all our Kyouraku Soutaichou.”

 

Well, they both knew that the current Captain Commander of the Gotei 13 was more than a little dodgy when it came to bureaucratic matters himself, and it wasn’t as if Hiyori cared very much about the dumbass’ work. Of course, this just meant that he was going to be sticking around – but it wasn’t as if she could kick him out of his own living space. (She could, technically, but right now, she didn’t really mind his presence at all, and so she just accepted his plans.)

 

She cleaned up after their meal and then she just left him to do his Shinigami stuff, going back into his room and crawling back under the covers to nap some more. She was full, feeling squeaky clean, and wearing fresh clothes. Her cramps had seemed to have retreated for now, the futon was soft and inviting, and all of her basic needs were already satisfied. The sheets still held the faintest traces of Shinji’s scent, and Hiyori inhaled deeply before relaxing into the bedding. Curling into a ball under the duvet, she tried to drift off but kept jolting awake abruptly. It was extremely aggravating, and the petite blonde was starting to get pretty frustrated before she realized that the solution to her problem lay in the next room over.

 

The golden-haired female didn’t even pause. She sat up, grabbed the downy comforter and took it along with her as she went out to the living area where her significant other was working by the low table, his calligraphy set and paperwork laid out before him. He turned his attention to her when she stalked in, but before he could ask, she settled down beside him, dragged over a nearby zabuton to use as a pillow, and quickly laid down. She wiggled up to his thigh and grabbed a fistful of his hakama, attaching herself to him. Then, she threw the blanket over herself, nice and snug once more, with everything she needed around her.

 

Hiyori heard Shinji chuckle softly on her way out, but she couldn’t quite muster up enough irritation to even frown at him this time, especially not when he was stroking her hair at the same time and making her feel so good. She fell asleep sighing with contentment.

 

Yeah. Life was really great right now.

 

When she was jostled awake after what seemed like a few hours later, it was to a large body edging under the covers beside her.

 

“Move over a bit,” Shinji muttered, and she opened her eyes to mere slits and squinted at him groggily. She didn’t protest when he shifted her himself, taking possession of her pillow and pulling her into his arms instead.

 

“Don’t ya have ‘ta work?” she asked thickly as she laid her head on the crook of his shoulder.

 

“Gimme a break,” he grumbled back. “Ya think this paperwork did itself? If Momo-chan has need for me, she’ll send someone ‘ta get me.”

 

Hiyori’s catlike eyes sharpened slightly, and then she tilted her head to scowl up at him. “’Momo- _chan’_ this, ‘Momo- _chan’_ that. All I ever hear from ya is ‘Momo- _chan_ ,’” she groused, still not fully awake yet, but feeling irritated enough to make a fuss. “If ya like ‘Momo- _chan’_ so much, then why don’t ya just go ‘ta her then?”

 

She was starting to stiffen a bit, but he just shot her an incredulous look. “Are ya kiddin’ me?” he blurted out then. “Momo-chan’s-” he paused, and then corrected himself. “Alright, _Momo’s_ my Fukutaichou; so of course I work closely with her. Ya were Fukutaichou yerself before; just what exactly do ya think Captains and Lieutenants do?”

 

He made sense of course, but she was not willing to back down so easily. “Yeah, but yer Lieutenant’s cute. And pretty sweet-tempered. I bet that she’s really kind too, like one of those ‘yamato nadeshiko’ gentle ladies, and she probably fusses over ya all the time.”

 

She wasn’t entirely wrong about Hinamori’s temperament, but he wasn’t about to add fuel to the fire by confirming her suspicions, not when she was already digging her nails into his arm in agitation, though she did not seem to notice her own unconscious action. She was jealous and insecure again, and even though he was just as bewildered over what had set off her apparent unease this time as earlier on, he simply gathered her bristling form in his arms and nuzzled her face in affection.

 

“I bet you’d prefer ‘ta have a girlfriend just like her, wouldn’t ya?” she muttered, disgruntled, against his neck. “Now that I think of it, all of yer ‘first loves’ were the ‘sweet and cute’ type too.”

 

She was really starting to get agitated by her own line of thinking, but he didn’t say a word to refute her charge, just slowly pried her fingers off of his wrist and quietly cuddled her instead.

 

Hiyori ignored his placating gestures and continued to gripe sourly.

 

“And they’re also tall. With huge knockers. And long legs. And really sexy figures.”

 

Shinji closed his eyes and kissed her freckled cheek in response, his hand rubbing her back soothingly at the same time.

 

“I’m not even anywhere near yer favorite type,” she announced abruptly in conclusion then. “Why are ya even with me?”

This time, he finally replied her.

 

“The answer’s _real_ simple, stu~pid. Because, I love ya, of course.”

 

But he wasn’t just content with saying the words. He continued, elaborating as he did so. “Yes, Momo’s cute, sweet and kind, but who says that ya aren’t too?” He reached up his hand to tweak her nose. “Yer really cute as well, and I love that ya only show yer sweet side ‘ta a few special people – like me. And yer also kind, in yer uniquely gruff, tsundere way – which I find really adorable too, by the way.”

 

He wasn’t done yet, and would not consider himself done until he had systematically and thoroughly dismantled each and every one of her hidden fears and secret anxieties.

 

“I don’t need ya ‘ta be tall; I like that yer petite and dainty like a doll – but yer also so damn strong and fierce at the same time. I like yer small breasts just fine – we’ve gone through this before, but I certainly won’t mind demonstratin’ my adoration for them anytime ya need a reminder. Yer legs turn me on – every time I see ‘em bare, I have the urge ‘ta roll ya onto ya back and have ya wrap ‘em around my waist as I make love ‘ta ya. Yer _very_ sexy ‘ta me, Hiyori, and not just yer sweet ‘lil figure; yer voice, yer scent, the way yer eyes glow with passion when ya look at me, how ya kiss and touch me – they all do things ‘ta me that I don’t think ya quite understand.”

 

He simply held her in his arms and regarded her fondly. “Yer sellin’ yerself a bit short here, brat.”   
  
She was really red in the face by the time he was done. She was also struggling to sit up, but he wasn’t letting her go anywhere until they had this matter cleared and settled once and for all. Hiyori was feeling extremely embarrassed.   
  
“D-Damn baldy!! W-Why did ya just go and say all that?” she demanded at last, feeling very flustered.

  
Shinji shrugged unrepentantly. “Every bit of it is true.” He reached out with his hands and framed her face then, stilling her movements and forcing her to keep eye contact with him.

 

“I do mean it, Hiyori,” he told her very seriously. “I love ya.”

 

She reared back slightly in agitation. “There, ya did it again!” she accused. “How can ya always say it so easily?!”

 

He smiled at her, his gaze unbearably tender as he looked at her.

 

“Because I’ve already loved ya for a very long time. Because I know I’ll love ya even more from here on.”

 

He was so matter-of-fact and perfectly calm in his declaration, that she had no doubt he truly meant everything that he had just told her. She just looked at him rather foolishly, and then, slowly, her ears started to burn with mortification. Her heart was pounding madly in her chest, and she felt so raw and vulnerable at the same time, as if she was fully exposed under his regard. Questions scalded her tongue, all but straining to burst forth from her mouth. _He had loved her for a very long time?_ She had never known, had never thought to ask before, but now, she was abruptly filled with a burning curiosity to learn more.

 

_When? How? Why?_

 

And then, most important of all, was the earthshaking revelation that he really, _really_ , loved her. This wasn’t just lip service on his part, nothing like his casual, deadpan declaration of love to all his so-called ‘first loves’ in the past. A part of her had always known the truth, but she had always conveniently shunted aside the voice of her instincts and told herself to just take his words at face value. She knew that he cared very deeply for her, was a loyal and faithful lover, and that was already more than enough to satisfy her.

 

Now, she suddenly realized that he hadn’t just been carelessly spouting the words – he had been showing her as well, using his actions all this while to prove his sincerity.

 

Good god, she was so blind. And so stupidly oblivious as well.

 

Hiyori did not know what to make of this. She was overwhelmed, and as much as a part of her wanted to yell and rejoice and roll around in mad glee, another part of her wanted to run away quickly and pretend that she had not heard a thing of what he had just told her. The smaller blonde was rather conflicted, her ‘flight’ instinct very close to triggering, before the crazy euphoria part quickly took over. She just gave in to her feelings, and carefully not looking at him, she slumped back down and hid her hot face against his neck.

 

“Shinji, ya dumbass!” she complained bitterly in a muffled tone at last. “Ya just went and completely ruined my perfectly bad mood!”

 

Her lover could not help himself; he laughed softly into her tousled hair.

 

“Yeah, alright, that works for me, too.”

 

* * *

 

** Omake **

 

“Your cramps are no longer bothering ya, aren’t they?” Shinji asked awhile later.

 

Hiyori looked at him like he had grown a second head. “Yeah,” she admitted slowly, grudgingly, at last. “How did ya know that?”

 

He appeared mildly intrigued. “…Lisa mentioned that ya might feel better after sex.” His tone turned deadpan. “Also, yer not threatenin’ me with bodily harm or tryin’ ‘ta throw things at me, so I’m assuming that yer no longer moody because of the pain – at least not even moodier than ya usually are.”

 

Hiyori scowled at him. “I’m not moody,” she denied, and he just gave her a skeptical look. Then, the smaller blonde mentally backtracked on his words, and her brow started to knit together again. “Wait. How come Lisa knows?”

 

Shinji gave her a slightly wary look, and then he carefully replied. “I asked her, obviously.”   
  
Predictably, Hiyori started to look rather outraged. “Ya asked Lisa?! Why did ya have ‘ta go and do that for?”

 

He shrugged. “She was around when I dropped by the Warehouse, and who the hell else was I s’posed ‘ta ask?”

 

“Ya coulda just asked me instead!” she muttered crossly, and he gave her a rather incredulous look.

 

“Excuse me, ya couldn’t even wait ‘ta get into my pants, if ya remember. I’d rather get the opinion of an unbiased source, thank ya very much. It was either Lisa or Kotetsu Fukutaichou of the Yonbantai, and Lisa was obviously the best choice because she knows ya better and askin’ her was less embarrassin’ for everyone involved.”

 

“Less embarrassin’?” Hiyori echoed dangerously, her eyes narrowing. “So it’s embarrassin’ ‘ta have sex with me now?”   
  
Shinji was exasperated by her touchy demeanor, but he calmly kept his cool. “I’m not havin’ this discussion with ya; ya already know how I feel for ya. I certainly don’t care if the entire Seireitei knows about our intimate relationship, but I don’t think that yer gonna be all too happy ‘ta have every Shinigami aware of our private affairs, so ya can’t have it both ways, brat.”

 

He was right, of course. While they weren’t hiding their relationship, they weren’t exactly broadcasting it for the whole world to know either, and Hiyori very much preferred it that way. She was just being willful as usual, and he knew it.

 

“…Besides, I just wanted ‘ta know if it was okay ‘ta make love ‘ta ya when yer like this,” he muttered, rubbing the back of his neck with mild chagrin as he spoke.

 

Hiyori tried to picture how awkwardly the conversation must have gone done with Lisa, let alone with the notoriously reserved Fourth Division Lieutenant, and her irritation quickly turned to utter mirth.

 

Shinji gave his suddenly amused lover a mildly annoyed stare. “I’m glad ya find my concerns so funny. Also, Kotetsu Fukutaichou’s a really quiet and modest young woman – I don’t think she’d look me in the eye ever again if I approached her with this sort of question.”   
  
Hiyori snorted and barked sharply with laughter then, and it took her awhile before she could speak again. “Ya kinda brought this on yourself,” she told him at last, after she had laughed long and hard at his expense. “ _Besides_ ,” she purred wickedly, slowly arching up against him as she so. “I do enjoy being slayed by that mighty sword of yours.”

 

Shinji reddened slightly at her brazen teasing, the shameless wench.

 

“ _Hiyori_!”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So this chapter marks the end of this arc – hope you guys enjoyed the installment, as always!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Headcanon #01: Hiyori can be terribly immodest and nonchalant when it comes to her appearance. If made to choose between comfort and fashion, she’d pick the first option every time. That’s not to say that she has no sense of style whatsoever – it’s just that it’s not very high up on her list of important things to do and so she usually doesn’t really care all that much about it.

 

On the other hand, we have Shinji, who always dresses himself really smartly and sharply. He’s also always nagging at his other half especially when she randomly decides to walk around half dressed (or when the temperature’s too hot and she’s happily shedding her clothes every which way).

 

Surprisingly enough, Shinji is actually more prudish than Hiyori when it comes to certain issues.

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Headcanon #02: Hiyori can be rather insecure and possessive/jealous at times. She doesn’t always show it but when she does, it’s only to those she trusts the most, as it makes her feel vulnerable and weak to admit to such things. She’s becoming more and more open with Shinji as their relationship develops, and as such, she’s also growing closer and more willing to bond with her lover over time.

 

Shinji, of course, is the more patient of the two, and hence he is usually willing to wait until she’s ready to take their relationship to the next level.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, according to Wikipedia, the term ‘yamato nadeshiko’ means the ‘personification of an idealized Japanese woman,’ or ‘the epitome of pure, feminine beauty.’ It is often used referring to a girl or a shy young woman, and in contemporary context, nostalgically of women with ‘good’ traits which are perceived as being increasingly rare. So, basically; gentle, demure, modest, docile – the traditional archetype of a traditional Japanese woman.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

As always, thanks for reading!! Until next time!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws


	32. Pre-Series Interlude: Happy Birthday ‘ta Ya, Dumbass – Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 2636

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 

**Created on:** 24/09/13

 

**Completed on:** 28/09/13

 

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 25/08/14

 

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Happy Birthday ‘ta Ya, Dumbass – Part I**

* * *

 

 

Shinji could not remember the exact year when he started receiving wagashi from a mysterious well-wisher during his birthdays, but he was certain that it was definitely after he had first ascended to the Captaincy post of the Gobantai.

 

Without fail, whenever he entered his office on the mornings of his birthday, there would be a wooden tray sitting on his desk, waiting patiently for him to partake of the delicacies that it presented. The plain and black, lacquered tray would slowly become a familiar sight to him over the years, and always, arrayed carefully on its flat surface was a shallow, ceramic plate with a delicately arranged and handmade traditional sweet, accompanied by a piping hot, steaming bowl of finely blended matcha. There would be nothing else – no hidden message or even a short, handwritten note to indicate or even hint vaguely to the identity of the unknown person who had gone to such great lengths to prepare this special, annual treat for him. It was evident that other than for the tray of delicious, extremely well-crafted confections and the fragrant, bitter tea that served to balance out their sweetness, his secret gift giver had neither the designs nor the desire to establish any other form of communication with him, and that he or she was most definitely not looking for his acknowledgement.

 

That tray was all there was, and it always seemed to plainly and simply say to him – _O-tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu._

 

Happy birthday.

 

It was a sincere greeting, present and gesture of goodwill all rolled into one, and somehow it was just right.

 

Nobody in his division owned up to being the mastermind behind the exquisite gifts when he questioned them, and even though it would be easy for him to get to the bottom of this intriguing mystery if he was determined enough to do so, Shinji respected the unspoken wish of the anonymous individual to remain unidentified by him. He could sense no ill will from his secretive giver, after all, and besides, just because he did not know the identity of the person did not mean that he was unable to make an educated guess when it came to just who he or she might be.

 

A fellow Shinigami, a rather skilled one, if they were able to sneak in and out of his office completely undetected – so, a seated officer, at least. Someone who also knew him well enough to be familiar with his daily habits and clockwork morning rituals – an acquaintance, then. And last but not least, a person who was also exceptionally good at traditional sweet making – that part he wasn’t so sure about.

 

Even though he could not quite recall the exact year the mysterious gifts started appearing on his desktop, Shinji could still remember what the first tray had contained. It had been a deceptively plain serving of Akumaki, already thoughtfully unwrapped from its bamboo skin wrappings, sliced into thin pieces, and served with blended sugar and fine, freshly toasted kinako flour. He didn’t usually eat the bland tasting glutinous rice, but food was food, and turning down what was quite apparently a meticulously prepared birthday dish was just incredibly bad form on his part (not to mention that he had been hungry and there was nothing else remotely edible around that time).

 

The Akumaki had turned out to be _delicious_ , a mild blend of flavors that delighted his taste buds despite its relatively humble appearance, and Shinji was sold. From that time onwards, he began to look forward to each and every single one of the sweets delivered to him by his anonymous well-wisher. The next year, it had been the simple but still aesthetically pleasing Sakuramochi, a trinity of delicate pink mochi with red bean paste filling arranged neatly on the ceramic plate, each wrapped in a piece of edible Sakura leaf, and a single, tiny Sakura bud rested on top of each of the small, bite-sized confections.

 

He had briefly speculated that these were possibly the offerings from one of his (many) female admirers, but eventually, he had rejected the notion as it became quite apparent that the gifts were not intended to be romantic. They were rather formal in fact, adhering to the rigid rules and level of visual presentation on par to that required by a ceremonial _otemae_ performance in traditional _chado_ , and Shinji was rather bemused by the impersonal nature of the gifts, though they were obviously made with such care and exquisite skill. He always showed his thanks in the only way that he was allowed to, of course, and made sure to consume everything, from the sweets down to the very last drop of the tea. By evening time, the empty tray that he had left outside the office would have mysteriously disappeared, and along with it, his appreciation as well.

 

Decades passed, and each time without fail, that black, lacquered tray would make an appearance on his desk whenever his birthday rolled along. The confections were never the same as well, from different variations of Amanatto to Yokan and everything else in between. His curiosity slowly grew, but he held it back firmly and continued to keep it contained.

 

Unfortunately, before he could even consider paying attention to his growing fascination towards the unknown individual who had always celebrated his birthday for him, Aizen struck, and he, along with the other seven Hollow-afflicted Shinigami, were secretly smuggled out of Soul Society to live a life in exile in the Living Realm. That first year had been an extremely difficult time for all of them, and his birthday came and went silently. He was not in the mood for festivities – none of them were – and besides, there was little doubt in his mind that it was highly unlikely that his secret giver would be able to continue with their private tradition, seeing that he was now incognito and keeping a low profile in another realm.

 

The situation improved somewhat the next year. The exiled Shinigami/Hollow hybrids were slowly getting their feet back under them, slowly adapting to life in the human world, but when his birthday came by again, Shinji once more had no expectations that things would return to the way it used to be in the past.

 

Imagine his surprise when he woke up that morning and was greeted with a very familiar sight when he stepped into the kitchen.

 

The utensils were all different, of course; the beautiful, black, lacquered tray was replaced by a simple, rustic rattan version. The exquisite, white ceramic plate and its accompanying delicate, hand painted chawan were also no more, and instead, a flat, crude platter made from clay sat on the tray, together with a chipped bowl that served as a vessel for the tea.

  
Despite the plain and unrefined flatware that had been used, the food still looked as exquisite as ever, the arrangement hinting at the refined prestige of traditional Japanese teahouses. It was almost too good to eat, and definitely stood out from the humble crockery used to present it.  

 

Shinji turned slowly to Lisa, who had entered the kitchen after him and was eyeing him with curiosity – that woman was _always_ curious.

 

“Did ya do this?” he asked her automatically, even though he already knew her reply. Forced by circumstances to rely on each other, the past couple of years living together with all the other Vizards had quickly unearthed everyone’s secret skills and forte outside of those required in their previous line of occupation, and unfortunately, the culinary arts were something Lisa hadn’t quite grasped – she couldn’t even make it as an apprentice in terms of skill.

 

The only three who could cook relatively well were Rose, Kensei, and a certain pigtailed brat, and the mere notion of the stoic Kensei secretly sending him handmade sweets for the past couple of decades was so ludicrous that he rejected it immediately. Besides, the silver-haired man’s cooking skills seemed to be only limited to the manly, outdoorsy, campfire type variety, and the making of delicate _wagashi_ was obviously another vastly different epicurean cup of tea altogether, pun fully intended. Rose was also out of the question since the two men never even knew each other all that well until roughly fifteen years ago, when the former ascended to the position of the Captain of the Third Division, and Shinji had been receiving his special gifts for nearly three decades already.

 

That just left Hiyori, the only one out of all of them who was formally trained in the arts of traditional Japanese cuisine by her previous Captain, Hikifune Kirio –

 

_And abruptly, everything made sense._

 

He really should have known.

 

The look of surprise on his face was pretty obvious though, and Lisa slowly lifted a pencil thin, arched brow.

 

“No. I didn’t make this,” she replied calmly at last, though judging by her unsurprised demeanor, she apparently knew who did. “But you should probably eat it quickly before Mashiro comes in and swallows it all. I don’t think any of us even knew that it was your birthday today. Happy birthday, Shinji.”

 

After passing on her well wishes, Lisa turned and exited the kitchen, leaving Shinji in private. The still bemused blonde looked down briefly at the tray of sweets, visually appreciating his gift before he sat down on the table and slowly reached out to pick up the small, bamboo skewer that lay neatly on the side. He dug in. This year’s specialty was tiny, bite-sized pieces of Warabimochi, coated in kinako flour and were soft and chewy, the taste and texture of the treat simply divine. It tasted like home, reminding him of the times back in Seireitei, and even though the feeling of nostalgia was bittersweet, Shinji also felt heartened by the dish.

 

She was getting even better at this, he thought belatedly, and was once again rather astounded that his secret giver had been the brat all along. Curiosity quickly flooded him – now that he knew the _who_ , he was immensely interested in knowing the _why_. His relationship with Hiyori had always been of the antagonistic nature, though in a somewhat contradictory, friendly fashion. They had known each other from way back, even before he became the Captain of the Gobantai, and even back then, she had been the same fiery, quick tempered hothead as now. The notion that she had been patiently (for her) presenting him with these birthday offerings year after year for _decades_ , and anonymously so, amazed him – it almost seemed unbelievable.

 

But now that he had a person to match the actions to, the rest of the puzzle quickly fell neatly into place – it all fit together now. She was definitely sneaky enough to get into and out of his office without detection, she certainly knew him well enough to have a good idea of his habits and daily schedules, and of course, she was definitely skilled enough to prepare the sweets and tea on her own.

 

Shinji ate the last of the Warabimochi and finished off the handmade confection by slowly savoring the strong, bitter matcha that complimented the dish. It was perfect, and as much as it made him happy to receive the well-wishes like he always did, the rest of him was still clamoring for answers and confirmation. Setting the tray of dirty dishes to the side, the fine-haired blonde stood up and left the kitchen in search of a certain pigtailed brat. He found her easily enough, in the backyard of the house with Hachi, working on the thriving vegetable garden with the gentle pink-haired giant.

 

Hachigen looked up the moment he sensed Shinji’s approach. The large man smiled. “Good morning, Shinji-san.”

 

The lanky ex-Captain of the Fifth Division returned his greeting with a nod, his attention still mostly fixed on the light-haired blonde whose concentration was focused on weeding the turnip patch, and she seemed completely determined to ignore him.

 

Hachi easily sensed Shinji’s unspoken request to speak to Hiyori in private, and standing up, the man politely excused himself, but not before sincerely wishing him a happy birthday as well. It seemed that some of the Vizards, if not all, were already made aware that today was his day.

 

Shinji just eyed the bent head of the petite female whom he had come out to talk to, but she was still intent on pretending that he was invisible. He waited a while for her to finally acknowledge him, but when she never did, he grew tired of her stubbornness and went right up to her instead, crouching down before her and leaving her no choice but to pay attention to him.

 

Very reluctantly, Hiyori finally looked up. She was not pleased to have her task disrupted midway, and she frowned at him. “What do ya want?” she demanded, grumpy as usual. She also had some dirt streaked on her small face as an unintentional result from working on the garden, and looked quite cutely disheveled despite wearing that glower on her freckled face.

 

Shinji wondered just when he had started thinking of her as ‘cute’ and not proceed to freak out over his thoughts right after. He simply stared at this petite girl-woman steadily.

 

“It was you all along, wasn’t it,” he asked then, more factual than questioning, intent on getting his confirmation all the same. “All those times, ya were the one who made me those sweets on my birthdays.”

 

Her scowl deepened but she kept silent. Shinji pressed on, undaunted.

 

“What I wanna know is, why?” he asked simply, curiously. “Why the secrecy?”

 

She very sullenly looked away then, her cheeks tinting red. “I dunno what yer talkin’ ‘bout,” she insisted in a mumble, before she regained her gumption once more and was glaring at him indignantly. “Who’d wanna make sweets for a baldy like ya, anyway?” She quickly stood up, and then she pointed down at him. “Don’t think that yer special or anythin’ just ‘cuz today’s yer birthday!! I’m gonna give ya a birthday bashin’ if ya keep harassin’ me, dumbass!”

 

Then, the pigtailed girl whirled around, lifted the hem of her yukata to her knees so that she wouldn’t trip over it, and pounded back into the house on bare, dirt stained feet, unceremoniously leaving behind a nonplussed Shinji to stare after her retreating form.

 

Hiyori made herself completely scarce for the rest of that day, and also on every day of his birthday thereafter, until he finally received the memo that she had no intention whatsoever of owning up to her deeds.

 

But the next year, and for every year after that, the tradition of the sweets giving continued, and that tray would be there, faithfully greeting him on every morning of his birth anniversary – wishing him a happy birthday even when its stubbornly petulant mistress would _never_ do the same.

 

As the decades slowly passed, the Vizards also grew closer and more cohesive as a unit, becoming more than just a group of misfits and outcasts who just happened to be stuck with each other. They became something a lot more close knit - almost like family but not really – and sometimes, when Hiyori was in a good mood, she would even make celebratory sweets for the others as well when it came to their special days, usually cakes and related desserts from the West that were slowly becoming more and more popular in Japan as time passed.

 

But always, _always_ , the _wagashi_ were reserved purely for Shinji, and everyone in the group knew that, even though Hiyori consistently (and often quite angrily) denied all knowledge of their creation.

 

Really, she was such a weird and difficult little thing.

 

But as time went on, Shinji decided that he was pretty okay with that too.

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

First of all, apologies for the late update! This installment was actually written quite a while back but I kind of lost the momentum and motivation to do the editing until recently. Sorry!! I tend to lose steam inexplicably every now and then – that and I have been really pretty busy dealing with real life for the past few months. Anyway! This arc will be a short one – only two chapters long. I hope you dear readers will enjoy it all the same.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

To avoid any confusion, here’s a glossary of Japanese terms used in this chapter:

_Akumaki_ – a Japanese style confection made from glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo skin and soaked in lye overnight before steaming it

_Kinako_ – toasted soybean flour

_Wagashi_ – traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea

_Matcha_ – fine powdered green tea

_O-tanjoubi omedetou gozaimasu_ – means ‘Happy Birthday’ (formal greeting)

_Sakuramochi_ – a type of Japanese confectionery made of sweet pink mochi and red bean paste, covered with an edible leaf of sakura.

_Chado_ – Japanese tea ceremony

_Otemae_ – the artistic performance during a Japanese tea ceremony

_Amanatto_ – Japanese traditional confectionery made of azuki or other beans, covered with refined sugar after simmering with sugar syrup and drying.

_Yokan_ – a thick, jellied Japanese desert made of red bean paste, agar, and sugar.

_Chawan_ – Japanese traditional teacup

_Warabimochi_ – jelly-like Japanese confection made from bracken starch and covered or dipped in kinako.

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

 

**xXxXxXxXxX**

 

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

 

\--paws

 

 

 


	33. Pre-Series Interlude: Happy Birthday ‘ta Ya, Dumbass – Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

 **Author:** paws_bells

 **Beta-ed by:** MelissaRose85

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

 **Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3284

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 **Created on:** 28/09/13

 **Completed on:** 29/09/13

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 01/09/14

* * *

**Pre-Series Interlude: Happy Birthday ‘ta Ya, Dumbass – Part II**

* * *

 

For Hiyori, it had all started at the suggestion of Hikifune Taichou.

 

“Hiyori-chan,” the motherly, purple-haired Shinigami had patiently and gently rebuked her young Fukutaichou after the latter had yet another quarrelsome episode with one of her fellow division members. “That’s not the right way to make friends, you know.”

 

The small, pigtailed girl was all scruffy and upset from the fight, even though she had won and had beaten her opponent into the ground in the process.

 

“I don’t need friends,” she had muttered back in return. “They are all stupid.”

 

The Captain of the Twelfth Division had quietly raised her brow then at her subordinate’s unhappy reply. “What about Hirako?” Kirio enquired calmly then, referring to the newly instated Captain of the Fifth Division. “He’s your friend, isn’t he?”

Hiyori just scowled obstinately. “He’s not a friend; he’s just a dumbass,” she muttered rather uncharitably, and Hikifune lightly rapped on the petite girl’s head in admonishment. The little blonde’s nose scrunched in protest.

 

“You should be nicer to him,” her Captain told her sternly. “Friendship is precious, Hiyori-chan.”

 

The small Shinigami just puffed out her cheeks slightly and looked petulant, though her freckled cheeks were slightly flushed with chagrin.

 

“Mm, I know! Why don’t you make something for him?” Kirio suggested then, even as she used the edge of her sleeve to rub away the smudge of dirt on the girl’s small face. “You always make the best sweets – I’m sure that Hirako will understand your feelings once he tastes your delicious confections.”  
  
Hiyori just reddened even more at the lavish compliment from her adored mother figure. Just for that approving comment, the young Lieutenant would happily do whatever it took to earn more generous praise from her Taichou, even though she wasn’t really all that interested in conveying anything to stupid Shinji in the first place.

 

Even now, more than a hundred years later, she still remembered the first thing she had made for the other blonde – it was the deceptively humble Akumaki. Hiyori had basically just made use of the spare ingredients that she could find lying around the kitchens of the Juunibantai to whip up the dish, though the entire process was hardly as simple as its completed appearance. It took skill to securely wrap and tie the glutinous rice in the bamboo leaf; if the winding was too loose, then the rice would come out too soft and soggy, if the winding was too tight, then the rice would turn out hard and terrible – a delicate balance was needed to achieve the perfect texture and bring out the subtle taste of the confection. The temperature of the furnace in which the bamboo-wrapped Akumaki was to be cooked in a pot of boiling water also had to be carefully watched and regulated – for a seemingly plain dish, a lot of work was required to make sure that it came out perfect.

 

Hiyori had chosen that confection in the first place because she had thought that it was perfect for the baldy. Even though the kanji was not spelt to mean as such, the pronunciation of the dish – Akumaki – could also be taken to reference the devil (or ogre), and the pigtailed girl was very certain that hage Shinji would receive her ‘feelings’ loud and clear.

 

Besides, the dumbass’ birthday was just a few days after Tango no Sekku – Boys’ Day – and everyone knew that Akumaki was just the perfect thing to eat during this period of time.

 

She had woken up extremely early on the morning of Shinji’s birthday to prepare the dish, barely completing it before dawn. The _chado_ and the serving of the matcha had been saved for last, and by the time Hiyori was satisfied with the overall presentation of the dessert, she was really looking forward to shoving it in the long-haired blonde’s face and loudly bragging about her culinary prowess. She had really intended to jump on the baldy and surprise him with her divine handiwork – he would definitely yell and swear for sure, and she looked forward to seeing his stupid reaction…but somehow or rather, Hiyori ended up losing her nerve on the way to the Gobantai.

 

What if he hated her present? Granted, she had only fixed it at first on the suggestion of her Taichou, but cooking was one of the things Hiyori knew that she was really, really good at and she was immensely proud of, and she had ended up putting in more effort than she had originally intended preparing this tray of sweets – what if the baldy decided that it tasted horrible and plain refused to eat it? She would be furious, of course, and she would murderously stuff every last bit of it down his throat whether he wanted it or not, but the whole thing would still end up being extremely embarrassing on her part, _andmaybeshemightevenfeelhurttoo_.

 

Hiyori hated the feeling of being laughed at the most, and if Shinji ever laughed at her for going through all the trouble of doing all this, then she was very sure that she would react by doing something extremely rash and violent that would put an abrupt end to this unconventional friendship of theirs. For some reason that she did not quite understand herself, that possibility was rather upsetting to the young Fukutaichou.

 

…perhaps it would be better if she took a more subtle – _safer_ – approach this time.

 

The pigtailed blonde would never admit it, but in the end, she had chickened out. Nervously sneaking into Shinji’s office like a thief, she had dumped the tray on his desk and then quickly fled like a coward. She hadn’t stuck around to see the other blonde’s reaction to her offering either – for a dumbass, he was also smart as a whip and she knew that he would immediately put two and two together if he saw her lingering around the scene like someone with a guilty conscience.

 

She had been very surprised when she returned later that day to find that the tray of food had all been eaten – the plate of glutinous rice picked clean and not a drop of matcha left in the chawan. It was the highest form of compliment that could be paid to the chef, and Hiyori had been smug and giddy with pride for the rest of that day, her confidence fully restored. Even though the baldy did not know that she had been the one to make him the food, Hiyori quickly realized that she was rather content to keep her identity unrevealed this time. Giving to others without any expectation of a returning favor made her feel very good about herself, and besides, it was also a nice change of pace that she and the baldy weren’t yelling or tussling with each other like they always did whenever they met, though of course the latter had no idea whatsoever that she was the one behind his present.

 

The next few years went by in the same fashion – Hiyori would make a different dish of sweets to anonymously present to Shinji, and besides the obvious birthday greetings, it had also become something of a game on her part, one that she was surprised to find that she rather enjoyed. It also stoked her ego immensely that the baldy always consumed everything and anything that she made for him, and so, this slowly became a tradition for her. Sometimes, though, it was extremely difficult for her to continuing keeping this secret of hers. Due to her significantly open, admittedly brash and rather _vocal_ nature, it was a challenge to keep from blurting out the fact that she had been his secret giver all along, especially when they were having one of their infamous squabbles – it would have been utterly satisfying to see the surprised and gobsmacked expression on his face, she was sure – but for some reason or another, she just didn’t quite feel like revealing herself to him yet.

                                                                                 

Another decade passed, and Hikifune Taichou left the Twelfth Division to take up position in the Royal Guard instead. Hiyori had been heartbroken by her Captain’s decision, and the fact that the latter’s replacement had been an idiotic, absentminded nerd had not sat well with the young girl at all. She had moped morosely for the longest time, but stupid Shinji must not have gotten the memo, for the dumbass kept bothering her and needling her and just wouldn’t allow her to remain depressed for long.

 

Just for the sake of it, she had continued to deliver handmade confections to the long-haired blonde, her actions as covert as before. By now, it had become a force of habit, and whenever May the Tenth rolled along, so would she begin to closet herself in the communal kitchens of the Juunibantai, unceremoniously kicking out her fellow members in the process, making use of the facilities in the ungodly hours of the morning, and would only ever relinquish possession of the room when she was finally satisfied with whatever it was that she was making for that year. Her Captain was not entirely as clueless as he liked to appear to be and seemed to have some notion of just what she was doing – or who she was doing it for – but since he wisely stayed out of her affairs and also kept his mouth shut regarding his knowledge, she grudgingly let him be, and would even sometimes ‘accidentally’ leave him the leftovers of the delicious wagashi she had made.

 

Kisuke was always more than happy to accept the little bribes from his feisty Lieutenant.

 

Then, yet another decade rolled past, and all of a sudden, their world was turned upside down, the rug pulled from right under them. The betrayal had hit them out of nowhere, completely blindsiding them when they hadn’t expected it at all, and then they were now the enemy, the exiled, the monsters. It was incredibly hard to take in the magnitude of their devastation when everything had happened so quickly, and even months after the catastrophic event, they were all still struggling to understand what exactly had happened to them.

 

Hollowfied. The soul of a Hollow forcibly implanted in each of their psyches – they would never ever belong to themselves again. They had become the very things they had always been trained to slay. No mere word could describe the sheer horror when they finally realized their fates.

 

It had been a dark year for all of them, the eight Shinigami who had been forcibly ‘modified’ against their will, as well as Urahara Kisuke, Shihouin Yoruichi, and Tsukabishi Tessai. That year was also the first and only time since she had started the habit of celebrating Shinji’s birthday with traditional handmade confections that she had failed to deliver – nobody was quite in the mood to celebrate anything after all, least of all her.

 

The next year, the situation became just a bit more tolerable, or at least, they were starting to realize that nothing would ever be done if they didn’t get over themselves and start living – it was time to move on.

 

When the dumbass’ birthday rolled around once again, Hiyori had deliberated and agonized for the longest time whether or not to resume their usual custom, or rather, _her_ usual custom of making sweets for him – he still had not a clue of her identity, after all. However, Hiyori had been fully aware of the fact that if she picked it up again now, then the gig would be up – there would be no more covertness or secrecy. Shinji would definitely _know_. He was not the least stupid at all (despite her constant claims otherwise), and she was aware that the only reason he had not found her out was probably because he had chosen not to do so – if he really wanted to, he would have uncovered her identity a long time ago.

 

Now, the task of rooting her out would be much, much simpler for him. There was but a mere handful of them around, and it would be just a short and simple process of elimination for him to quickly discern that it had been her all along. After all, she was the only one of their little group that could prepare such delicacies.  

 

But there had never been any need for her to keep herself a secret in the first place; at first, she had just been nervous, but then it turned out that there was nothing for her to be uneasy about, and it had simply become a game for her. Now, Hiyori felt that she was ready to come clean – sure, the baldly would be surprised, but it shouldn’t be anything that she should be bothered about.

 

Their situation had still been a bit shaky and uncertain at that time; they were still finding their way in the Living Realm and a lot of things were still new and incomprehensible to them. It was the dawn of the Meiji era, there were so many strange, peculiar things that they had never encountered before, and also, they quickly found that most of their skills were not really needed – not for long, anyway. The traditional way of the warrior, the code of Bushido, was dying out. The skills of the Samurai were becoming obsolete, and for all of them, who only ever knew how to fight and kill, it was time to find new niches, or even learn new crafts altogether.

 

Their living situation had not exactly been the best, but they were not entirely destitute either. They were poor, but they were skilled enough to not go hungry, and if their circumstances ever reached the absolute bottom, they could always just rough it out in the woods. They were not unfamiliar with poverty; most of them had come from the Rukongai districts before they slowly worked their way up the hierarchy of the Gotei 13 and eventually ascended to their prestigious positions in the Shinigami military, and at least here, there was always wild game around.

 

They would survive this just like they had survived everything else in the past.

 

Hiyori had proved to be an exceptional cook, skilled in the culinary arts, as the rest quickly found out. She could make anything taste good, using what little and limited ingredients were available to prepare a filling and savory meal for the others. 

 

And this time, even though she did not have anything exotic or expensive on hand, Hiyori was still determined to make something every bit as delicious as she had always managed in the past. Using what available materials she could scare up from their humble pantry, she was able to create chewy, delicious Warabimochi from just bracken starch, water, sugar, and finely ground kinako powder.

 

The pigtailed girl had just finished preparing the matcha and was in the process of washing up when Lisa entered the kitchen, spurred by curiosity to check out the bustle of activity that she had sensed going on in the room so early in the morning. Hiyori had taken one look at the ebony-haired woman and, in the spirit of forestalling any question, had quickly blurted out. “S’for the baldy,” she muttered, scowling slightly at the same time as she did so, most likely in an attempt to look intimidating and keep her discomfiture at bay. “It’s his birthday today. Don’ttellhimit’sfromme.”  

 

Lisa had merely lifted her brow as she watched the blonde quickly clean up the kitchen, and the latter’s embarrassment was quite apparent.

 

“Is this a secret admirer thing?” the ex-Fukutaichou of the Hachibantai asked then, and the younger female quickly froze.

 

Hiyori was absolutely _mortified_. It had never occurred to her that this was what people might assume of her actions, though it was hardly her intention at all. But come to think of it, she had seen some of the other female Shinigami do the exact same thing before, blushing and giggling like idiots and covertly dropping anonymous gifts in the way of the objects of their affections. _Oh. Oh shit._ She had just realized that she had been doing pretty much the same thing for the last few decades (minus the blushing and giggling, of course), and- **_Shit_**.

 

What if the dumbass thought that she was one of his fangirls?! For some reason unbeknownst to her, that moron had more than his share of female admirers back in Seireitei – what if he thought that she was one of those?!!

 

She mightsortofkindofmaybe think of Shinji as a good friend, but she didn’t like him _that_ much.

 

Hiyori’s face was bright red by then.

 

It was quite too late to retract her friendly ( _friendly!!_ ) gesture now, though, not when Lisa had already found her out. There was no choice but to just suck it up and try to be as nonchalant about the whole thing as she could.

 

“HAGE SHINJI IS _NOT_ THE OBJECT OF MY AFFECTIONS,” the overwrought girl bellowed at Lisa before she swiftly hightailed it out of the kitchen and out of the house to help Hachi with the gardening.

 

But of course it hadn’t just ended there. She had been simmering in her embarrassment (Hachi had been polite and kind enough not to mention her moodiness) when the dumbass himself came out and started looking at her like he didn’t quite know what to make of her, and she quickly found that she really didn’t enjoy being stared at like some exotic pet monkey, especially by him. She had lost her temper then, threatened to beat him up, and then ran off before he could begin to ask her even more awkward questions.

 

Still, even though she kept denying the fact that she had been the one to make him all the sweets, Hiyori continued faithfully, albeit rather grudgingly, to give him deliciously exquisite wagashi on his birthdays.

 

Then, the decades passed, and over the years, the confections she prepared for him grew more and more colorful and elaborate. The namagashi that she made were delicate and beautifully fashioned, works of art that were almost too pretty to eat. She only prepared the traditional sweets exclusively for him though, and slowly, as her feelings for him gradually changed from that of mere friendship to blossoming affection, so did the level of complexity and effort that she put into his edible gifts, each of her creations plainly telling of the things she flatly refused to say.

 

By then, Shinji was already used to her stubborn, exasperating silence whenever it was the anniversary of his birth, and he no longer made too much of a fuss out of it.

 

More time trundled along, and then, quite suddenly, Aizen was defeated. Their century long exile was at an end, and they had finally gotten vengeance and closure. With one chapter of her life ending, another one began, and Hiyori found that she no longer had any excuses left to deny herself what she had slowly realized she had wanted all along. A few months after the battle in the fake Karakura town, a month after she had healed from the grievous injury that had been dealt to her by Ichimaru Gin, on the day of Shinji’s birthday, she once again wordlessly presented him with a single namagashi, this one crafted with breathtaking detail in the shape and form of a white lily of the valley – his personal mark, as well as the symbol of her purity.

 

That evening, she gave herself up wholly to him, and by this time, there was no longer any need for him to ask why – he already knew.

 

 _She_ was the best present that he had ever received.

 

* * *

** Omake **

 

**Present day:**

 

It was that time of the year again.

 

Shinji looked appreciatively at the black lacquered tray of finely made confections sitting on his desk, admiring the harmonious colors and design of this year’s namagashi and deeply inhaling the warm, soothing scent of the accompanying matcha before shifting his attention over to his petite lover, who was lounging on his office couch with deliberate nonchalance, looking as casually disinterested as could be. As always, she was also pretending not to have anything to do with the sweets that he had just walked into his office to find, though nowadays, she wasn’t even trying all that hard anymore.

 

The golden-haired man was both humored and a little exasperated by Hiyori’s antics. He walked over to her and took a seat by her side. Then, he simply waited for her to acknowledge him. She glanced at him warily then, frowning a bit over the fact that he was ignoring the food in favor of bothering her instead.

 

“What?” she asked somewhat defensively. He slowly raised a brow.

 

“Can I stop pretendin’ now?” he asked, his tone rich with wry amusement. Her scowl deepened slightly.

 

“I dunno what yer talkin’ ‘bout,” she muttered, obviously still trying to be obstinate. He indulged her.

 

“Well, brat,” he repeated his question, elaborating rather patiently as he did so. “Can I stop pretendin’ that I don’t know yer the one who has been feedin’ me sweets the last hundred or so years?”  
  
Hiyori started to turn a funny shade of pink, and she looked like she was on the verge of bolting. He reached out and grabbed her before she could run off on him, and then he tugged her onto his lap. She started to stiffen, but they were alone in his office right now, and he was more than happy to take the opportunity to pull her into his arms and cuddle her, his head tilting down to kiss the side of her throat and shoulder, his hand tugging the collar of her jacket aside to expose more of her pale flesh. She started to quiver slightly as he ran his lips teasingly over her skin, and his long, elegant fingers caressed her waist with lazy, sensual affection. His face was tucked into her neck, his fine, silky hair, tickling her slightly, and she was quickly overwhelmed by his warm, demonstrative behavior.

 

The pigtailed Vizard yelped when he nipped her bare shoulder lightly, and his arm curled even more securely around her waist, pulling her flush against him. This was going to get out of hand very quickly – the damn baldy was making her pulse race with his actions and fogging up her thoughts until she was starting to have trouble keeping her head straight. Increasingly flustered, Hiyori suddenly raised her hand and shoved her palm against Shinji’s face, pushing him (and that distracting mouth of his) away from her.

 

“W-What do ya think yer doin’, dumbass?!” she demanded rather breathlessly, trying to wiggle out of his grasp and pull her jacket back over her bare shoulder at the same time. “And lemme go already!”

 

“Nah, I don’t think I will,” he replied teasingly, agilely evading her wild blows and easily containing her despite her irritable, though halfhearted, struggles. He tugged her close and snuggled her, much to her indignant grunt, and planted a kiss on her freckled cheek to placate her. “At least not until yer willin’ ‘ta finally admit that you’ve been my secret admirer for a _very_ long time.”  
  
Hiyori hissed at his comment, affronted and agitated by his assumption. Her face grew even redder, and she managed to free a hand to reach back and smack him hard on the head. “I’M NOT YER FUCKIN’ SECRET ADMIRER, YA MORON!” she bellowed. “IT WAS S’POSED ‘TA BE A FRIENDSHIP THING!!”

 

He appeared bemused by her loud, touchy reply though he wasn’t entirely surprised by her response. She had admitted her involvement, albeit indirectly so. Her gifts had been rather impersonal and proper, at least until a few decades ago, when she had slowly begun to respond to his feelings. “Then, why all the secrecy?” he asked, curious, and she quickly clamped up. He nudged her slightly. “Take yer time, I’m more than willin’ ‘ta sit here with ya ‘till I get an answer, just so ya know.” 

 

The smaller blonde scowled at her pigheaded lover. He really meant it, and he had her in a secure hold too, so she couldn’t run away and evade his question. After a while, she grudgingly relented.

 

“Ya were gonna laugh at me if I gave it ‘ta ya upfront,” she mumbled, quite displeased that he was forcing her to spell it out.

 

Shinji appeared mildly appalled by her not-so-charitable impression of him. “ _No_ , I wouldn’t.”

 

She shot him a sharp, irritated glare. “Yeah, ya so would,” she insisted grumpily. “Ya were always teasin’ and bullyin’ me back then. Ya would totally throw my present back in my face, and then you’d never lemme live it down. Keepin’ this a secret was just less aggravatin’ for everyone.”

 

He appeared slightly disgruntled by her candid explanation. “Gee. Nice ‘ta know that ya thought me such an ogre. And maybe I was teasin’ ya quite a bit, but ya were definitely no sweet angel yourself, luv.” He paused briefly before continuing. “And just for the record, I wouldn’t have rejected yer presents, even if I knew back then that it was from a certain ‘lil monkey brat – those were some of the finest sweets I’d ever eaten.”

 

His compliment made her ego swell, and her irritation subsided some. She settled more willingly in his arms, no longer bristling like an offended cat. He nuzzled her tenderly, and then he whispered in her ear the words that he had always wanted to say. “Thank _you_ , Hiyori.”

 

She shivered slightly at the feel of his lips moving lightly against the sensitive flesh of her ear lobe, and then she turned to glance at him, her cute, freckled features slightly red again. “I-Idiot,” she stuttered back, and he was rather amused by this easily embarrassed side of her.

 

“Aren’t ya finally gonna wish me a happy birthday?” he asked teasingly then. “I’ve been waitin’ for ya ‘ta say it for a very long time already, ya know.” Hiyori’s face rouged even more. For a quick moment, she looked like she was torn between either beating him up or running away.

 

Surprisingly enough, in the end she just looked away from his amused gaze instead and awkwardly mumbled out.

 

“Happy birthday ‘ta ya, dumbass.” Before she could completely lose her nerve, the petite blonde turned to him and quickly pecked him on the cheek. He was obviously surprised by her loving action, and she was so embarrassed by what she had just done that she immediately shoved away from him and tried to escape. He recovered enough to grab her before she could skitter off nervously.

  
“And where do ya think yer goin’?” he asked rhetorically then, his voice turning husky as he pulled her back to him. Her shy displays of affections were extremely attractive – and arousing – to him. Hiyori squirmed and flailed (rather violently), too embarrassed to even speak or kick up her usual fuss. She would also realize very quickly that he had no intention of letting her get away from him anytime soon – at least not until he got what he wanted from her.

 

“I think; ya owe me more than just one birthday kiss,” he declared then, his tone playfully wicked. “Ya ain’t goin’ anywhere ‘til I’ve collected ‘em all.”

 

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

So that’s the end of this arc – short and sweet, yeah? =)

FYI, the Lily of the Valley is the insignia of the Fifth Division - Shinji’s mark - and it also symbolizes purity and love. I say that it’s Shinji’s mark because the Lily of the Valley is also the flower of May, Shinji’s birth month, so I suppose everything ties together. Obviously, this mini arc is also a birthday arc for our favorite male lead - hope that you guys have enjoyed reading it! =)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Last but not least, thanks for reading!!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

\--paws


	34. The Hardest Words – Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3759

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 01/10/13

**Completed on:** 03/10/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 16/04/16

* * *

**The Hardest Words – Part I**

* * *

Akon warily eyed the short, golden-haired woman whom he had come all the way to the Living Realm to study. Urahara-san had mentioned that he could find her in this decrepit, abandoned building also dubiously dubbed as the ‘Vizard Warehouse,’ and he had been let into the premises – which had been protected by some of the most powerful Kido wards that he had ever seen – after being personally vouched for by the ex-Captain of the Twelfth Division.

 

Right now, the pigtailed female still remained unaware of his presence as she was busy annihilating everything in sight with just pure melee combat. The tall, black-haired Shinigami had followed the ferocious reiatsu signature down to what had looked like an enormous, secret underground training arena located beneath the property. He had immediately noticed that a fake, but rather convincing sky had been painted on the impossibly high and wide ceiling overhead, and the training facility also seemed to have a desolate and craggy, rocky terrain feel going for it.  

 

In the far distance ahead was a violent streak of red shooting aggressively about the training ground in short but incredibly swift bursts of _shunpo_ , so impressively fast it appeared to the naked eye that she would materialize and disappear in random places seemingly at an instant. The spiritual pressure that she had let loose was significant and extremely hostile, edgy and frustrated, and she had not even put on yet the Hollow mask that he had come specifically to see.

 

Surreptitiously concealing his own presence and reiatsu completely, Akon took the opportunity to observe his ex-colleague. Her fighting style was still as erratic and violent as he had last remembered it to be. In fact, she seemed to have gotten even more terrifying in that endeavor, and he watched as she ferociously tore apart a humongous boulder into smithereens _with her bare hands_ , the latest victim in a long string of enormous stone constructs that had been unlucky enough to offend her sensibilities in some way or another. She was such an awfully scary little heathen, even though she had hardly looked like she had aged or grown at all since the last time he had seen her over a century ago.

 

The woman wore her hair up in pigtails like she used to, and she was also still a short and tiny little thing – in fact, he distinctly remembered that she seemed larger and more physically intimidating in the past, though that might probably be because he had been quite young himself back then and had not been much bigger than her. Now though, he had grown, a young adult in terms of appearance, and he had also shot up like a reed when it came to height, quite obviously matured. He would not be surprised if she no longer recognized him–

 

Quite abruptly and unexpectedly, his invasive presence had been detected, and an aggravated flare of reiatsu was all the warning Akon received of the impending confrontation. The Third Seat of the Juunibantai looked up just in time to see a significantly pissed off Sarugaki Hiyori shooting his way, and his black eyes widened imperceptibly when she crossed the distance between them in what seemed like the blink of an eye to appear right before him.

 

Hiyori did not just stop there; she barreled right into the intruder and sent them both flying backwards with unrestrained and pronounced force. They were airborne for a while before skidding across the uneven floor, and the landing was especially rough for Akon, since the pigtailed blonde had quickly attached herself to him and immediately pinned him to the ground after they had finally slid to a stop. The young woman wasted no time straddling his stomach and digging her knees into his side, one hand clenching into the lapels of his black shihakusho and holding him down whereas the other was curled into a tight fist, already cocked back and ready to let loose on his face.

 

Akon started to swear – the damn little monkey was even more blindingly _fast_ when up close, and while he could and would fight, he preferred his research more and hadn’t exactly come here to do battle with the female Vizard. Slowly peeling an eye open after the abrupt and painful collision, the black-haired and horned male was about to speak when he took his first close look of the woman currently sitting on him. Akon suddenly froze. growled then, growing even more annoyed.

 

Ferocious ochre eyes, large, feline, and tilted, stared him down fearlessly. “Who are ya and what are ya doin’ here, ya damn Shinigami?” Hiyori demanded, but he just continued to look at her in seemingly dazed surprise. The impatient female

 

She had been minding her own business and trying to get a spot of training done when she suddenly realized that there was a perpetrator in the Vizard Warehouse, and it was a stinkin’ Shinigami ‘ta boot, one whom she did not recognize. Hiyori had been feeling frustrated with her own problems lately and she had been trying to work it out (and by ‘work it out,’ she meant beating things concave and thrashing the training ground while she was at it), and the presence of this shitty Death God was not helping to improve her mood any.

 

This Shinigami was also quite obviously a bit slow in the head, for he wasn’t reacting to her and was just gaping at her like an idiot. He didn’t look all that capable at all and the golden-haired female wondered how on earth he had managed to sneak into the building without alerting Hachi in the process.

  
“Oi. Are ya deaf or what?” Hiyori asked rudely. She also gestured with her fist, an unspoken warning that he was going to get a beating from her really soon if he did not explain himself, and after a while, Akon blinked slowly, as if just snapping out from his stupor, and then he hurriedly looked away from the small female on top of him. The mildest tint of a flush crept onto his cheeks, and the petite woman frowned at the man weirdly for his strange reaction.

 

Hiyori’s scowl deepened. “Who the hell are ya?” she repeated her question, and he finally looked at her once more. It took more effort for Akon to maintain his composure than he had thought possible, but looking straight into those catlike eyes of hers was akin to being punched straight in the chest – a reaction that the black-haired man had _never_ thought would happen, especially with the monkey girl whom he had known since they were both children. His blood quickened in his veins, and for some reason or another, his heart was racing nervously, his palms sweating, and it was a good thing that he had constant practice keeping a poker face from being around Kurotsuchi Taichou for the past century or so, or he would have embarrassed himself right in front of this woman – this extremely attention catching and appealing woman who he could not quite seem to stop gawking at.

 

W-Wait; was this really happening? Was he really showing interest in- 

 

The way her tiny little fang was poking out of her mouth was simply charming, and he belatedly realized that her small, freckled face was really quite adorable up close. Akon started to look a bit dazed once more.

 

“Ex-Lieutenant Sarugaki Hiyori,” he managed to speak then, his voice remaining surprisingly steady despite his shaken demeanor. Out of the blue, he had just been struck by Cupid’s Arrow, and the violent little hellion whom he had rather detested in the past was suddenly completely endearing and _perfect_. She reminded him of an angry but fluffy little kitty to him, and Akon had _always_ had a soft spot for cats. He had been too young to care about such things the last time he met her, but now, _now_ he was nearly overwhelmed by the strongest urge to pet her. She was _cute_ , he thought, smitten.

 

“You don’t remember who I am?”

 

Hiyori narrowed her eyes slightly. She leaned in just a tad closer to study the features of the male lying rather passively under her, and if anything, his flush seemed to spread a bit further across the bridge of his nose at her proximity. She wondered if he was getting sick or something.

 

“The hell are ya?” she asked abruptly. “I’ve never seen ya in my life before.”  
  
“I’m Akon,” he told her then, and she stared at him like he had grown horns on his head. Which he had.

 

Hiyori could not believe it. Wait. _Akon_? The same one from Seireitei? From her old division? The one who was always arguing with her? “No way,” she blurted out. “That runt? But ya don’t look like him at all!”

 

He frowned slightly at her reply. “You were even smaller than me back then,” he replied in turn, and she started to glower again. “Anyway, can you get off of me already?”

 

Oh. Right. The conversation was a bit awkward since she was still pinning him to the ground. Hiyori let go of him and climbed back to her feet, staring warily at him as she did so. The blonde still had some trouble believing that this tall, lanky male was one and the same as the Akon she knew – but now that she looked closer, the facial structure and coloring were indeed nigglingly familiar. The fact that the other had grown whereas she still possessed basically the same short stature made her scowl slightly with jealousy.

 

“Anyway, what are ya doin’ here?” she immediately demanded to know.

 

Akon stood up as well, dusting himself off and then looking at the blonde. She was so petite but fierce, and once again, he found her fiery nature rather refreshing and attractive. _Cute_ , he thought once again, before shaking the notion right out of his head. Akon hadn’t even known that he was interested in women like this one until today.

 

“I’m here under the orders of Kurotsuchi Taichou to observe the Vizards,” he replied then, and she stared at him like he was crazy.

  
“HUH?!!”

* * *

One week later, Shinji stepped into the Vizard Warehouse on an afternoon to find it strangely quiet and deserted. It didn’t take him long to discern the reason behind this unusual phenomenon – Hiyori was not around. Popping back over to the main area where both Lisa and Love were lounging around enjoying the peace and quiet for once – as well as getting some good reading in – he asked.

 

“Hey. Where’s Hiyori?”

 

Love answered him. “Over at Urahara’s. The ‘lil shit’s over there more often than not recently, playing with the newcomer.”  
  
Shinji frowned slightly at that. “What newcomer?”  
  
Lisa raised her eyes from her erotic novel then. “Weren’t you the one who sent him her way?”

 

“…Who?”

 

The ebony-haired female Vizard shrugged, and then Love took over again. “Anyway, you’ll find her at Urahara’s training ground. And don’t worry, Hachi’s with them.”

 

Now, the fine-haired blonde was even more baffled. Why on earth would he be worried? Still, he left the two to their reading and excused himself, his curiosity driving him over to Kisuke’s not-so-simple and not-so-little shop house. The man in question happened to be sunning on a deck chair outside his shop, a teapot and a cup of tea sitting on the small stand beside him, and the bucket hat wearing male unfurled his fan and hid a smile behind the paper harisen when the former saw his approach.

 

“Why, what brings you here to my humble little shop today, Gobantai Taichou?” the tousled blonde asked in his usual teasing, sing songy tone. Shinji came to a stop a few paces in front of the man, looking slightly exasperated as he did so.

 

“Lisa and Love directed me yer way; they said that I might find Hiyori here.”  
  
“Ah. Yes. Hiyori-san is indeed within my premises right now,” Kisuke confirmed. “She’s sparring with Yoruichi, last I noticed, with Hachi observing, plus one.” The man’s grey eyes lightened with sly humor. “Is the extra attention on Hiyori-san concerning you, Shinji?”

  
The Shinigami Captain had no idea what his friend was talking about, of course. “You tell me. I don’t even know what’s goin’ on here.”

 

Kisuke got up from his seat and gestured for the other man to follow him as he retreated into the shop. They proceeded to make their way down to the huge underground training arena that sat beneath the Urahara Shoten, and the fine-haired blonde immediately noticed the presence of another Shinigami in their midst, standing by the sideline with Hachi, and if he remembered correctly, that was the Third Seat of the Twelfth Division.

 

“What’s that fella doin’ here?” Shinji asked, curious. He glanced at the center of the training area next, briefly observing the ongoing spar between a fully masked Hiyori and the purple-haired Goddess of Flash. The match appeared to have been going on for quite some time already, and both combatants were relying purely on Hakuda and Hoho to fight – the pigtailed blonde seemed to be holding up well enough against her mentor, throwing her all at the feline shape shifter and enthusiastically and unreservedly putting herself through the paces.

 

“Ah, Kurotsuchi-san dispatched Akon-san here to collect more physical information on the Vizards. He’s starting on Hiyori-chan first and will work his way down the rest of the others after her.”

 

That wasn’t really surprising, in hindsight. The Captain of the Twelfth Division had also been extremely interested in the Shinigami/Vizard hybrids who had returned to the command of the Gotei 13, and often sent his subordinates to collect data on them – up to a point, of course. None of the reinstated officers were all that interested in making a visit to the Shinigami Research and Development Institute for a _thorough_ examination, after all.

 

“…I’m kinda surprised that Hiyori’s actually puttin’ up with this,” Shinji admitted. He had been pretty certain that his brat would not want anything to do with Shinigami – she was usually the first to start attacking any Death Gods that crossed her path, after all.

 

Kisume appeared amused. “Hiyori-san has been personally acquainted with this particular individual in the past – perhaps that’s why she’s more obliging this time.”

Just then, the fight at the arena finally seemed to come to an end by mutual agreement, and Hiyori’s hollow mask disintegrated, revealing her bright glowing eyes and exertion flushed features. Her previously soaring reiatsu levels were also tucked away, and she turned to Yoruichi immediately, rather animatedly discussing the spar and not noticing him yet.

 

Shinji started to move forward to his lover then, attempting to catch her attention. He was here today to see her, after all. It had been over a week since she last came to him, on her period and seeking out the comfort of his presence, and now, he had found some spare time that he would like to share with her as well. She had been pretty insecure the last time, and he might have had neglected her a bit too much if she was feeling that way, and so he was here to suggest that they both take some time out to spend with each other.

 

Before he could do so though, the other Twelfth Division Shinigami went up to Hiyori and intercepted her first. The tall, lanky male spoke to her briefly, looking as though he was asking her some questions regarding her abilities. Hiyori replied candidly, and then she scowled grumpily at the black-haired Shinigami and proceeded to sock him in the arm not-so-lightly when he dryly responded to her in turn. Shinji noticed that even though the Third Seat officer could have easily avoided her halfhearted punch, the man did not move to do so like most would have done – instead, he passively allowed the smaller female to hit him and had not even made any move to protest or reprimand her for the unprovoked attack. It was a curiously unusual response but it wasn’t anything extreme, and the fine-haired Captain started to dismiss his casual observation –

 

Then, the younger Death God handed Hiyori – and only Hiyori – a clean towel to wipe her sweaty face with, in the process showing an inordinate amount of care towards the petite blonde that was quite distinctly _non-platonic_. _That_ , Shinji found that he was unable to just as easily attempt to brush off, though his completely oblivious lover simply accepted the other man’s gesture of affection and thought nothing of it at all.

 

Shinji’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly. “Who did ya say he is again?” the blonde asked his friend beside him in a perfectly calm, level tone, though he never took his gaze off the scene playing before him. Kisuke shook his head lightly.

 

“Akon was my subordinate, and I believe that he’s also a childhood friend of Hiyori’s. They used to be quite antagonistic towards each other though, like you and Hiyori were in the past,” the tousled blonde remarked. “Now that they are both fully grown adults, obviously something’s changed.”

 

Shinji’s brow knitted slightly, but he made no comment. Hiyori finally saw him then, and her eyes widened slightly in surprise – and a hint of apprehension? Her reaction to him was odd, and he had known her for so long that he could easily read her like a book; she had always been that open to him. Locking his gaze to hers, he gestured her over, and after a small hesitation, she slowly, almost reluctantly, went to him.

 

Still smiling, Kisuke excused himself to join Yoruichi, Hachi and Akon, leaving the pair of lovers to talk in privacy.

 

The taller male had his arms folded in front of his chest, his hands tucked into the opposing sleeves of his Captain haori. He glanced down at his petite mate, and his frown deepened just a bit more when he noticed the unusual way she was fidgeting almost uncomfortably before him, and she also seemed to have trouble keeping eye contact with him as well.

 

“So, I heard that ya found a new friend,” he mentioned almost gruffly by way of greeting. She glanced at him briefly, and then she looked away again.

 

“…He’s not new,” she muttered back after a while. “Akon and I go way back too. He’s okay, I s’pose.”

 

That was high praise, indeed, coming from her. He looked at her closely.

 

“I thought ya hated all Shinigami,” he pointed out then, slowly.

 

Much to his increasing disbelief – and irritation – she flushed slightly in response, almost like some shy maiden whom he could not recognize. She had never acted like that before when they were talking about people. But then, her eyes caught his fleetingly, and she quickly mumbled out.

 

“I don’t hate ya.”  
  
Her clumsy but sincere reply soothed him somewhat, and his gaze softened slightly. She was such an awkward little thing.

 

“Yeah, I know,” Shinji replied, his tone gentling with fondness for her, his affection apparent. Hiyori looked at him uneasily.

 

“…What are ya doin’ here anyway?” she asked. She was speaking to him in a strangely stilted fashion that made him look at her oddly. She sounded like she was being really careful in her speech, and her cautious demeanor in turn made him feel slightly on edge as well, almost as if he was waiting for the other shoe to drop – Hiyori was, after all, _never_ cautious around him, not unless she was up to something, at any rate.

 

He shrugged and raised a brow at her. “Why do ya think I’m here, stupid?” he asked softly, and much to his amusement, she turned just a touch redder. He would not deny it – she was being utterly charming right now. The others weren’t paying them a whit of attention at the moment, and so he stepped closer to her. Her catlike eyes widened slightly, and she stiffened, looking unusually tense.

 

“S-Shinji,” she mumbled, flustered, her eyes darting about nervously. She was being weirdly flighty today, but he simply chalked it up as yet another one of her moods.

 

“So, I was thinkin’ that maybe we should go on a short trip or somethin’,” he told her, getting right to the purpose of his visit. “I have a few free days comin’ up, so let’s do it – just you and I, of course. What do ya say?”

 

Hiyori froze. She looked at him in shock, and then she took a quick step back. Surprisingly enough, the pigtailed Vizard shook her head.

 

“I don’t wanna,” she blurted out quickly, sounding almost panicked. “Uh…I have ‘ta stay here and, uh, help Akon.” There was a pause as he looked at her rather incredulously.

 

“Are ya serious?” he asked, having some trouble comprehending her unexpected reply. He had been quite certain that she would have appreciated the idea of them spending time together, but she seemed quite resistant against it. He started to frown.

 

“Is that all ya came for?” Hiyori asked, and when he did not deny it, she quickly continued. “Ya should go back now,” she told him rather abruptly, seemingly eager to make him leave, much to his increasing bafflement. “I need ‘ta, uh, show Akon around, so let’s talk ‘bout this some other time.”

 

Hiyori was very skittish – and acting stranger by the second. She took yet another step away from him. Shinji’s frown deepened. Before he could demand to know what’s going on with her, the smaller blonde suddenly turned and took off – and she grabbed her newly reunited friend with her.

 

“C’mon, didn’t ya promise ‘ta treat me ‘ta dinner last night?” Hiyori demanded from Akon even as she hauled the bemused and rather smitten male off. “Let’s go. Now.”

 

Shinji just stared, nonplussed, as Hiyori scrambled out of the underground training area with the other Death God in tow. Then, the Shinigami/Vizard Captain started to scowl, turning to the bemused trio of Kisuke, Yoruichi and Hachi as he did so.

 

“My, my,” the cat woman tsked. “Did you piss Hiyori-chan off again, Shinji?”

 

“…That’s quite the record,” her tousled blond lover commented next. “I only left the two of you alone for less than five minutes.”

 

“Oh dear,” the pink-haired giant added sympathetically.

 

Shinji was _not_ amused, and most of all, he was just feeling plain dumbfounded by what had just occurred.

 

“…Had Hiyori just shunted me aside ‘ta go off on a _date_ with whats-his-name?”

 

“Yes.”

“Yes~.”

 

“…Anou, yes.”

* * *

** Omake **

Akon eyed the pigtailed girl sitting beside him on the counter of the ramen stand as she dug into her third serving of the hot, savory noodles that evening. She obviously possessed quite the appetite, and even though he thought he preferred women with daintier eating habits, he found her matter-of-fact, hearty approach to food rather endearing, and was therefore more than happy to feed her as much as she could pack into that petite, waifish body of hers.

 

Of course, the dingy ramen stand was hardly his ideal location for a dinner date, but she had sprung her demand on him so suddenly, dragging him out of his ex-Captain’s shop house and pulling him into this eating establishment before he could even have a say in the matter, and he had easily conceded to her decision in the end. Besides, the food really was as delicious as she had promised, and her bossy demeanor was also _kinda_ _cute_. She didn’t talk much though, concentrating on consuming the bowls of noodles instead, ravenous after her spar with the Shihouin princess, and she was only starting to slow down now that the initial edge of her hunger had been taken off.

 

Slurping the ramen into her mouth and chewing slowly, Hiyori swallowed the salty mouthful of floury goodness before she suddenly paused and sighed instead, as if afflicted by a heavy burden. Instead of digging out more of the noodles from the bowl, the blonde started to use her chopsticks to swirl its contents in a rather troubled manner, her small, freckled face screwing up into a frown.

 

“What’s bothering you?” the black-haired Shinigami asked then, trying his best to sound casual despite the fact that he was acutely aware of the fact that she was sitting very closely to him and that their elbows were nearly touching. The female Vizard did not look like she had heard him at first, and he was about to repeat his question when she suddenly looked up and met his curious gaze with her own.

 

At such close proximity, the way her large, feline eyes looked at him boldly and unhesitatingly made him feel once again as if she had just reached into his chest and squeezed his heart in her small fist – she was that visually arresting to him. Akon started to feel his cheeks warm, and he quickly distracted himself by grabbing his cup of tea and taking a deep, calming drink from it.

 

“Oi,” Hiyori spoke slowly then, turning her full attention to the Shinigami. She had been plagued by this aggravating problem for the last week or so already, and was already at her wits’ end after trying to straighten out her thoughts on her own but to no avail. The downright awkward encounter with her baldy just now had been utterly mortifying for her as well – she had not expected to see him today and was also not quite ready to face him yet – she could not even look the other blond in the eye at the moment, and so she could only beat a temporary retreat, choosing to bolt rather than to remain subjected to his highly perceptive attention.

 

Because the dumbass was really, _really_ , smart, and he would definitely root out her secret before she was ready to reveal it to him, and for once, this was not something Hiyori wanted him to easily guess out of hand.

 

The young woman felt her own cheeks start to redden as well, and Akon’s eyes widened slightly when he saw how pretty she looked just then, never mind that she was still in her tracksuit and wasn’t exactly dressed or primped up for a date.

 

Hiyori did not seem to notice at all the effect that she had on the tall, black-haired Shinigami. She was more interested in finding out another perspective on her ‘little’ problem, and maybe a male brain might do just the trick.

 

“So, uh, how exactly are ya s’posed ‘ta tell someone that ya love ‘em?”

 

Akon reacted in the only way that he could at that moment.

 

He splurt out his tea right in her face.

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

 


	35. The Hardest Words – Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

 **Author:** paws_bells

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

 **Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

 **Word Count:** 3462

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 **Created on:** 05/10/13

 **Completed on:** 08/10/13

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 20/11/16

* * *

**The Hardest Words – Part II**

* * *

This entire thing was getting completely out of hand, was what Shinji decided a fortnight later.

 

He had been a rather accommodating and patient man, though this was getting downright ridiculous. Hiyori had always been a rather…unique individual, and he had known that a relationship with her was never going to be anything remotely normal at the least, but this was really pushing it. His brat had been deftly evading him for the better part of the past couple of weeks and, much to his chagrin, she appeared to be shunning him in favor of spending time with another man instead. She was also not answering his phone calls to her in addition to avoiding him like the plague, and by now, Shinji was getting both highly irritated and concerned.

 

And then, there was also the fact that Hiyori had seemed to have acquired an admirer in the form of the same male whom she was running around with all the time in the recent weeks, and even though Shinji did not doubt his lover’s fidelity – this was the same woman who took _decades_ just to come to terms with her personal feelings for him, after all – it was still very _strange_ to have to put up with this all too annoying situation.

 

Shinji might be pretty laidback and open minded most of the time, but he wasn’t _that_ laidback and open minded when it came to something like this, not to mention, Hiyori could be quite oblivious when it came to such matters – in all likelihood, the little idiot probably hadn’t even noticed the fact that her newly reacquainted friend clearly harbored romantic feelings for her. That was pretty alarming for several reasons; Hiyori was hardly the most well-behaved or decorous individual around, and in her casual, devil-may-care demeanor, she sometimes did or said things that could be very easily misconstrued by others.

 

That was the last thing Shinji wanted to happen. An unruly, ill-mannered hellion she might be, but Hiyori also possessed a rough, unpolished sort of charm that simply drew one in, and once one’s attention was caught, it was impossible not to keep noticing her – the petite female was hardly a subtle wallflower.

 

The male Vizard did not often had to deal with this sort of issue when it came to his lover – Hiyori usually served as her own deterrent when it came to scaring away potential suitors, and she did it so well (and unknowingly) that he never had to interfere much when it came to the matter of competition. She did not possess the pleasantest of temperaments; she was gruff, short-tempered and violent, and she was such a sourpuss most of the time that not many stuck around long enough to unearth her enchanting sweetness concealed deep (very deep) within. Shinji certainly had no objections with that – all the better for him, in fact. She was his polar opposite – if Shinji, with his charismatic, easygoing nature, was the ‘honey,’ then Hiyori, with her antagonistic, difficult demeanor, was definitely the ‘vinegar.’

 

As they say, it was ‘easier to catch more flies with honey than with vinegar,’ but in this case, the Gobantai Taichou had to disgruntledly disagree. Sure, the honey was attractive to everyone, but those few who still went after the vinegar were usually some of the most determined, single-minded flies he had ever met. Case in point was this current affection-blinded individual, and since Hiyori was making her presence (extremely) scarce to him right now, well, Shinji thought that he might as well start off with a friendly, civil chat with this male who was taking up so much of his lover’s time recently.

 

No, he wasn’t _jealous_ , per se. He was just going to make it clear to the poor, clueless boy that the latter was barking up the wrong tree – Hiyori might not appreciate the metaphor, but her tree was definitely already marked, staked and claimed. It appeared to him that the other Shinigami did not seem aware of her committed relationship status – knowing Hiyori, she would not have volunteered this information on her own – so this was an opportunity to set the record straight. With luck (and hopefully enough common sense), the black-haired male would get the point and back off; and nope, Shinji was definitely _not_ _jealous_ – he was feeling pretty exasperated though.

 

“Hirako Taichou,” Akon greeted with a respectful nod of his head when Shinji came up to stand beside the latter over at the underground training area of the Urahara Shoten. The Twelfth Division member had been putting up at his ex-Captain’s place for the duration of his stay in the Living Realm, and Kisuke had mentioned to Shinji earlier that morning through the phone that Hiyori would be here for the day. Sure enough, the fine-haired blonde could see his significant other in the arena, her mask pulled on and her attention concentrated on her spar, this time with Lisa, the latter of whom must have been bribed with erotic magazines again to actually muster the effort to battle the other more high strung female.

 

Shinji would settle with his lover later, but for now, he fixed his focus on Akon. The male Vizard did not beat around the bush.

 

“I need ‘ta speak with ya ‘bout Hiyori,” he informed the other Shinigami flat out, and the black-haired individual finally turned his attention away from the ongoing spar to look at the Fifth Division Captain.

 

“Yes, what about Hiyori, Hirako Taichou?” the Third Seat officer enquired solicitously, and Shinji felt his eye threaten to twitch at the casually informal way that the other man was addressing _his_ Hiyori. Why, this audacious little punk–

 

But that was the entire problem, wasn’t it. The aforementioned ‘audacious little punk’ had no clue whatsoever that Hiyori was already with him. The blonde kept a lid on his rising annoyance and made himself hold onto his self-control. And now came the difficult part.

 

“I noticed that ya have been payin’ a lotta attention ‘ta her,” Shinji pointed out flatly. “Unprofessionally so, if I may add.”

 

Akon froze briefly. Then, a mild tint of red crept across the bridge of his nose, and the younger male looked briefly flustered before he quickly regained his composure. Straightening to his full height, Akon looked at the higher ranked Shinigami and nodded stiffly.  
  
“I’m _fond_ of her,” Akon admitted carefully, before resolutely continuing. “But don’t worry, Hirako Taichou – my wooing of Hiyori will neither affect nor influence my focus on my duties in any way.”

 

Shinji stared at the other man in disbelief. “ _Excuse me_?” he muttered incredulously. This _upstart_ sure was moving really quickly, wasn’t he? Quite understandably, the fair-haired Captain sounded rather offended, and Akon looked warily at him.

 

“…Hirako Taichou, I’m aware that Hiyori must be like a little sister to you, but I assure you that I harbor no ill intentions,” the black-haired Shinigami quickly responded. “I, uh, like and respect her a lot, and…I just want her happiness.”

 

This conversation was completely getting off track, and Shinji wondered if he should even bother being surprised anymore – after all, nothing seemed to be going his way lately. The blonde looked blankly at the other man.

 

“That’s really sweet of ya,” Shinji retorted at last in a distinctly unamused manner. “Though I gotta burst yer bubble, Akon-san – my affection for Hiyori is neither brotherly nor platonic in the least.”

 

The younger male was obviously a sharp, observant individual, and it didn’t take much more on Shinji’s part for him to finally put two and two together. Akon’s eyes widened slightly as realization finally occurred to him. “W-Wait, Hirako Taichou – you _like_ Hiyori too?” he stammered in disbelief. “I-Is this a love triangle?”  
  
“No, it’s not,” Shinji muttered – it was apparent that he was going to have to spell it out for the other Death God. “It’s a romantic relationship between a couple, plus a third wheel. Three guesses who the third wheel is, and the first two doesn’t count.”

 

Akon started to frown then. “…You two are dating?” the Twelfth Division Shinigami asked, almost in disbelief. After a few moments of shock, an understanding light seemed to enter his eyes, and Akon appeared mildly envious. “So you’re the one whom she-” 

 

The researcher broke off, and he slowly shook his head. “It doesn’t matter,” Akon declared then with quiet determination. “We’re long-lived beings, and your relationship is not ironclad – Hiyori may change her mind in the future.”

 

This time, Shinji’s eye really twitched. The punk was hitting out where it hurt – and his brat was acting strange enough recently that Akon had brought up a legitimate worry, as much as he did not like to admit it. While the fair-haired Captain did not doubt his lover’s loyalty, she was known for her flighty and temperamental nature, and the fact that she was withdrawing from him, turning _away_ from him instead of _to_ him to share whatever was concerning her so that he could help her fix the unknown issue, did sting more than a little bit.  

 

Well, time to resolve that, then.

 

Shinji smiled grimly at the younger Shinigami. “If ya think that Hiyori is someone who’s indecisive and easily swayed when it comes ‘ta relationships, then obviously ya don’t know her very well,” the male Vizard uttered calmly.

 

“My brat’s really steadfast, ya know; she loves – and hates – with the strength of her entire being. She’s a real obnoxious, impulsive, and troublesome little hellion, _yes_ , but she’s also faithful, unpretentious and unwavering. I ain’t givin’ her up without a fight. Even if she happens ‘ta suddenly forget me one day or simply decides that she no longer feels anythin’ for me, I’m gonna do everything it takes ‘ta make her fall in love with me again.”

It wasn’t a taunt or a direct provocation of masculine ego to the younger man, but a matter-of-fact statement. Shinji wasn’t just playing around here – _he was playing for keeps_. Anyone coming forth to challenge his bond with his lover was going have to meet his conviction or he would simply disregard them. This younger Shinigami was quite smitten with Hiyori, and perhaps, time permitting, maybe his little crush on her would have blossomed into something even stronger and enduring, but Shinji was going to put an end to that right here.

 

The Fifth Division Captain was so sure and self-possessed in his claim that even Akon felt affected by his words. The black-haired Shinigami turned a dull shade of red, visibly embarrassed by the other man’s bold declaration. Shinji’s brow rose at the Third Seat’s flustered reaction; if the younger male was so easily rattled by something as small as this, then Hiyori would simply eat him alive if he ever tried to make any move on her – the petite woman was hardly the shy, maidenly sort, after all.

 

Despite his adult appearance, Akon was about as experienced as a young boy when it came to romantic relationships, and his inexperience showed. He was hardly a threat, Shinji abruptly realized, and just like that, the blonde snapped out of his mildly defensive mindset, feeling more than a bit foolish for being incited into a jealousy-induced conversation by the other younger Death God. The Fifth Division Captain made himself take a step back from this situation before approaching it again from a more rational angle.

  
“Look; I’m not gonna do anythin’ stupid like threaten ya or warn ya off or whatever. Ya can do what ya want – I don’t really care, and Hiyori’s entitled ‘ta her own friends.” It wasn’t as if Shinji could or wanted to control every aspect of his lover’s life. She would _geld_ him if he tried. “Chances are, she’s not even aware of yer interest in her, so if ya really want her ‘ta know, yer gonna have ‘ta pick up yer game and be more proactive – she’s not gonna give ya any time of the day otherwise.”

 

Shinji didn’t even know why he was giving advice to his love rival, but the other male was so obviously out of his depth that the blonde felt a bit sorry for him. Hiyori was hardly the subtle sort, and Akon would get nowhere with her if he continued to be passive in his approaches. _Not_ that Shinji wanted the younger man to get anywhere with his lover, but the latter was just beating his head against the wall the way he was going, and the blonde felt obligated to throw him a line to help him out.

 

Akon flushed again, this time with chagrin. He had not expected the Taichou to be so helpful and obliging; the higher-ranked Shinigami clearly knew Hiyori like he knew the back of his own hand, and he also must be feeling really secure in his relationship with her if he was giving out advice so freely.

 

In the training arena, the spar between the two female Vizards had just drawn to an end, and the timing couldn’t be better. Shinji looked up and promptly met the startled gaze of his lover – she had not expected him to be here, and her clear expression of dismay made him frown, his irritation returning once more. The male Vizard briefly wondered what Hiyori would do next now that she learned his presence, and he watched as she tensed, an unusually conflicted expression growing on her face – for a moment there, she looked torn between either storming up to him or avoiding him altogether – before she quite suddenly and abruptly bolted. In a flash of shunpo, she was gone from the underground training area, and Shinji felt his forehead pulse with rising pique. Having his own lover run from him like he was some sort of abhorrent pestilence was hardly the most flattering experience, and she had been doing it to him continuously for the past few weeks. Enough was enough.

 

Turning to look briefly at Lisa, Shinji asked. “D’ya have any idea what’s goin’ on?” he asked.

 

The ebony-haired ex-Lieutenant shrugged. “Beats me. She’s been like this; all moody and jumpy for quite some time already. Can’t you fix this, Shinji?”

 

“I’m tryin’,” he muttered back before glancing warily at Akon. “Did Hiyori say anythin’ ‘ta ya?”  
  
The Twelfth Division researcher hesitated. Then, he sighed. “I’m not at liberty to discuss this issue with you. …You should speak with her yourself, Hirako Taichou.”  
  
Akon watched as the older male went off and did just that, excusing himself and heading out of the training ground, most definitely in search of his significant other. The remaining Vizard, Yadomaru Lisa, came up to him and gave him a mildly approving look.

  
“Good call,” the ex-Shinigami remarked calmly, taking a sip of water from the bottle she was holding in hand. “It is also victory to know when to retreat,” the woman quoted, and Akon sighed again.

  
“…It isn’t as if I had a chance in the first place,” he admitted self-deprecatingly. “Hiyori has been all flustered over him ever since I first saw her here in the Living Realm. I’ve never seen her behave like that before.”

 

Lisa just glanced at the taller man. He still appeared slightly depressed, so she consoled him the best she could.

 

“Don’t worry; I’m sure you’ll find yourself an angry, violent midget to love and adore one day – just not this one. Until then, I can always recommend you some good literature to soothe your sore heart with.”

 

Despite himself, Akon appeared slightly interested. The scientific materials of the human world were always fascinating to peruse, and he could not deny his curiosity now that the Vizard was offering.

 

“…What literature are you talking about?”  
  
“Oh, very tasteful ones. They’ll surely knock your socks off, I guarantee you.”

* * *

Hiyori stuck her head out of the bathroom cautiously and surveyed her surroundings. The stretches of hallway on both sides of her were empty, and a brief concentration of her senses registered no reiatsu presences in the building. The petite female was alone in the Vizard Warehouse at the moment. She was safe – for now.

 

The blonde pulled the door open a tad wider and slowly eased herself out of the communal bathroom shared by all of the Vizards. Her hair was still damp from her shower, falling around her face in unruly clumps of dark gold and she had also just put on a fresh change of clothes – as usual, she was dressed in a set of her favorite tracksuit. The hems of the red pants with white stripes down the sides were rolled up to the tops of her slender calves, and she was only wearing her white tank top at the moment, forgoing the jacket. Absently slinging her towel over a shoulder, the young woman slowly made her way down the passageway and towards her room.

 

Hiyori was still feeling slightly jumpy and irritable, and it showed on the grumpy frown that was sitting on her face. She had not expected to see Shinji today, and when their eyes met across the vast expanse of Kisuke’s training grounds after she had ended her spar with Lisa, she had panicked inexplicably and done the first thing she could think of – the normally brash and brazen female had turned tail and fled like a bloody coward. Her shameful and nervous retreat still irked her pride something fierce, but Hiyori did not quite know how else to respond to her lover recently. In fact, just one look at him made her feel incredibly anxious and almost afraid – she had never been in this sort of situation before so _of course_ she was going to run.

 

The short Vizard knew very well that her avoidance tactics were not going to work for very long; compared to herself, Shinji was very patient, but even he had his limits, and judging by the way she had seen his eyes narrow dangerously earlier before she abruptly took off, something told her that he was going to reach that end very soon. The whole thing just made Hiyori feel even more skittish, and the blonde was really uncomfortable and frustrated with her situation right now. Growing angry with herself, she stomped down the rest of the hallway and noisily banged opened the door of her bedroom. The room had used to be Shinji’s before he returned to the Gotei 13 to reassume the post of the Gobantai Taichou, but now she had taken over it completely, and whenever her lover had business in the Living Realm, he would share her bed – though technically it was his in the first place. 

 

Agitated that her thoughts had somehow returned to the damn baldy once more, Hiyori kicked her door shut and skulked sulkily further into the room, tossing her damp towel onto the back of a chair at the side. “The stupid, dumbass Shinji,” she uttered bitterly to herself, quite sorely missing his presence but not quite sure how to break out of this awkward emotional deadlock that she had inadvertently put herself in. “Stupid, stupid, stupid!”

 

Towards the end, Hiyori didn’t even know if she was scolding her lover or herself, and by now, she frankly did not care.

 

It was then, that the man in question finally took exception to her angry name calling, somewhat bemused by how she had completely missed seeing him at all in her moody contemplations. “…that’s pretty rude, ya know.”

 

A slight movement by shadowed corner behind the door announced his previously well hidden figure then, and Hiyori could not help but screech loudly in shock, jumping as she whipped around to face her lover. Shinji moved to stand in front of the closed door, locking it behind him for good measure and closing off the only route of escape for the petite female whom he had finally managed to corner.

 

Hiyori froze, looking like a deer that had just been caught by the headlights – he had concealed his reiatsu so she could not detect his presence! And he had also blocked off the only way out of the room! “H-Hage!!” she could only yell in outrage and panic, and Shinji cocked his head as he observed the emotions that flitted past her expressive features. Hiyori was obviously anxious, but because she was seldom so, and her apparent unease made him let go of his annoyance at her erratic behavior as concern for her took its place instead.

 

Still, the taller male did not approach his significant other – not yet, at least. He crossed his arms before his chest instead and slowly raised his brow.

 

“Ya wanna tell me what’s been goin’ on with ya lately, Hiyori?” he enquired calmly, seeming to take her nervous agitation in stride.

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

I’m not dead, just kinda (a lot) procrastinate-y. Apologies for the delay in update! Will try to push out chapters at a more decent rate – though I gotta to say, I’m still incredibly salty over the crappy ending for Bleach. I haven’t even gotten over the shitty Naruto ending before Kubo decided to take a dump on his own work too, jfc.

Oda Eiichiro-sensei and Hara Yasuhisa-sensei, don’t fail me now!!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

This chapter is rather self-explanatory, though I suppose the more fun part will come in the next installment, hoho. FYI, this arc consists of five chapters, so that’s 2/5 down. My writing has been slower lately because my attention is spread all over the place and I’m easily distracted – is this because I’m getting old?? – but I’m trying to stick with the program, honest! Thanks for putting up with me as always, and thanks for reading! :)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

\--paws


	36. The Hardest Words – Part III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

**Author:** paws_bells

**Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

**Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

**Genre:** Romance/Humor

**Word Count:** 3865

**Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

**Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

**Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Created on:** 10/10/13

**Completed on:** 14/10/13

**Chapter Last Revised on:** 30/03/17

* * *

**The Hardest Words – Part III**

* * *

 

“No! Go away!” she blustered defensively, puffing herself up to look bigger, but of course he ignored her. She was all flighty and twitchy, and he did not miss the way that she kept eyeing the door, looking as if she was going to make a run for it at first opportunity. Shinji pretended to not to notice her extremely unflattering reaction to his presence, and he deliberately stepped away slightly from the exit, making as if he was going to her instead. She took the bait immediately, throwing herself headfirst in a frantic gambit to flee this embarrassing situation, but before she could even undo the lock, he already had her caught, one strong arm wrapped firmly around her waist as he simply lifted her and carried her struggling and bellowing form to bed.

 

Hiyori yelled and wiggled to be let loose only to have the breath knocked out of her briefly when her lover tossed her lightly onto the mattress. Before she could roll over and scramble away, he was already pinning her down, throwing one leg over her slender hips and straddling her firmly, at the same time singlehandedly catching her flailing arms by the wrists and holding them above her head. In a matter of moments, she was well and truly trapped under him, and looking down at her tense expression, Shinji arched a brow at her.

 

“I’m not exactly givin’ ya a choice here, brat,” he told her steadily. “I think I’ve given ya ample time ‘ta sort out yer thoughts, but if ya haven’t cleared yer head out yet, then lemme help ya. What’s wrong?”

 

He was so matter-of-fact and maddeningly unruffled about the entire situation that Hiyori could not quite find any excuses to blow up and snap at him. However, the fact that he was so placid about the whole thing while she was all strung up and agonizing over their situation made her feel quite resentful towards him, and she glared at him angrily. As always, Shinji just took on her temper tantrum unflinchingly, slowly but surely peeling away all of her prickly, defensive layers until he found that soft center of hers.

 

“Hiyori,” he called out her name quietly, his eyes never wavering from hers. “I’m just tryin’ ‘ta understand exactly why my girl’s suddenly avoidin’ me like the plague here – have I inadvertently done somethin’ ‘ta piss ya off?” he asked, and she flinched slightly, suddenly unable to look at him anymore. She was still being stubbornly tightlipped about the issue, and after a while of watching her studiously avoiding his intent gaze, Shinji decided to switch tactics.

 

The fine-haired Vizard released his lover quite abruptly and got off of her, leaving her momentarily disoriented by her sudden freedom. He sat beside her on the bed instead, and she was about to jet off and out of the room away from him when he spoke again.

 

“Are ya runnin’ from me ‘cause ya have somethin’ that ya cannot bear ‘ta tell me?” he asked, and she immediately froze in place, stunned by his all too accurate deduction. As she had always known, he was just too sharp for her to hide this away for long, and now, he was going to make her spill everything. Hiyori was immediately gripped by apprehension – she did _not_ want to talk about this at all.

 

For Shinji, the way she stilled was already indication that he had hit the nail right on the head. The increasing look of panic on her face made something in his chest clench, and despite himself, a cold sensation started to crawl up his spine. He had always assumed that he knew her heart inside out, but right now, in light of her increasingly strange responses and odd, continuous evasion of him, he could not help but doubt a little. If he was _wrong_ about her steadfast, albeit grumpy, affection towards him –

 

Shinji’s expression slowly grew tight as well, but his dark golden eyes burned fiercely as they met her own wild, cornered ones.

 

“I’m not gonna insult ya by askin’ if ya’ve got somethin’ goin’ on with that boy,” he started out once more, this time a bit stiffly. He was trying his best not to let the growing jealousy and possessive anger leak out into his tone, and it was a struggle to keep his reiatsu from flaring out with his increasing agitation. “But just tell me this one thing. Do ya really like him that much?”

Hiyori just looked at him for the longest time, her features slowly scrunching up with confusion, her tension slowly leaking away to be replaced by sheer bewilderment. “Huh?” she blurted out. “Who?” What the hell was he talking about?

 

Shinji’s jaw was clenched, the muscle ticking slightly with his rising displeasure. She was going to make him spell it out for her, and for once, he did not quite appreciate this extremely maddening side of her personality. “That Third Seat from the Twelfth Division,” he gritted out. “Do ya like him that much?”

 

Hiyori continued to stare at him. The smaller blonde did not know why he was suddenly bringing up Akon (of all people) in the middle of their other more important conversation, but right now, she was feeling too thankful for the diversion to care. The petite female grabbed at the god sent, change of topic with both hands (figuratively), becoming just a little less guarded as the discussion veered off from the earlier very awkward subject of her personal affection to – _huh_?

 

Hiyori did not know why her lover was being so interested about what she thought of the black-haired Shinigami who also happened to be her ex-colleague, but she could sense his overwhelming irritation all the same. What was he being so uptight about?

 

“Akon’s okay, I s’pose,” she replied slowly at last. “He always feeds me and stuff.”

 

If anything, Shinji’s glower deepened, and he seemed immensely frustrated by her flippant reply. “Is that all?” he asked, his tone still rather clipped and stilted. Hiyori started to stiffen again – she did not appreciate being interrogated like this, and he sounded so frigid and hostile that it was starting to piss her off as well. This dumbass here might happen to be the love of her life, but he’d better watch his words or she’d kicked his ass all over the warehouse, love or no love.

 

Shinji could not quite tell if Hiyori was simply trying to be funny or if she was being perfectly serious – he was not amused, either way. Beyond that, his jealousy was starting to get out of hand as his mind helpfully provided very cozy images of that thrice-damned Akon affectionately hand feeding his brat, and the latter being more than willing to submit to the tender ministrations of the other Death God.

 

If the lanky blonde wasn’t so agitated and visibly stewing in his anger, he would have paused to consider that the above scenario was highly unlikely, since there was no way in hell that Hiyori would have agreed to being hand fed by anyone – barring extenuating circumstances, that was. But jealousy was not exactly a rational emotion, and speaking of feeding, the Gobantai Taichou was suddenly experiencing a most powerful urge to march back to Urahara’s shop and personally hand feed his zanpakuto to Akon, business end first.

 

“Don’t accept anythin’ from him from now on,” Shinji ordered then. “I absolutely forbid it. I’ll feed ya all ya want, so don’t go ‘round beggin’ food from other men.”

 

Hiyori just looked at Shinji like he had suddenly sprouted a second head. The fact that he was telling her what to do was also not sitting well with her whatsoever, and he made her sound like some stray animal that was going around accepting scraps from random people.

 

“Don’t order me ‘round,” she snapped at him, suddenly incensed by his highhanded demeanor. “I’m not one of yer Shinigami lackeys. Ya don’t get ‘ta tell me what ‘ta do.”

 

Shinji stiffened at her belligerent tone. Usually, he would have let it go, but this time, her defiance rubbed him the wrong way.

 

“Yer not my lackey, but yer my girl,” he told her coolly, his expression hard and unyielding. “And I don’t want ya so close ‘ta other guys, Hiyori.”

 

Her first instinct was to punch him, but then her eyes locked with his narrowed, angry ones, and Hiyori quickly realized that he was truly _furious_. Shinji was usually quite hard to agitate – his temper was pretty slow to ignite and she would admit that she had blatantly taken advantage of his easygoing nature more often than she should have. But right now, something had obviously set him off – she had seen him angry before but he had never directed the full force of his displeasure at her.

 

It didn’t take Hiyori long to decide that she didn’t like it very much when her lover was being mad at her.

 

“What the hell’s wrong with ya?” she demanded at last then. “Why are ya so angry?”  
  
He could hardly believe that she was asking the obvious. “Am I s’posed ‘ta pretend that there’s nothin’ wrong with ya likin’ another guy?” he responded sharply, and slowly, it began to dawn on Hiyori what was going on here. The pigtailed Vizard could not believe what she was seeing and hearing, and she just stared at him for a really long time, the strangest expression on her face.

 

“Are ya _jealous_?” she blurted out at last, sounding utterly incredulous, and he was so piqued at the moment that he didn’t even deny it.

 

“Ya were runnin’ ‘round with another man all the time nowadays and ya also kept avoidin’ me,” he muttered back, his tone curt. “How the hell else am I s’posed ‘ta feel?”

 

She hadn’t really thought that he’d interpret her recent evasive maneuvers around him in this manner. Hiyori just blinked at the highly agitated, possessive male. “I’m tellin’ ya right now, brat. I don’t care if ya like this ‘Akon’ or what, but I ain’t sharin’ ya with anyone,” he told her flat out.

 

Reaching out towards her, Shinji grabbed her by the wrist and tugged her bodily to him. This time, she did not fight him. He arranged her before him on the bed and then he cupped her cheeks with his hands, tilting her face up slightly so that he could look her in the eye. “Yer mine,” he reiterated resolutely. “Ya gave yerself ‘ta me, and I’m keepin’ ya for better or for worse. That means ya don’t get ‘ta change yer mind anymore – yer stuck with me.”

 

She blinked at him. His forceful words made her heart flutter – just a bit. She would never admit it, of course. Hiyori tried to look away from him, but he wasn’t having any of that – at least not until they had settled this issue once and for all.

 

“D-Dumbass,” the smaller blonde retorted at last, starting to get slightly nervous again. “I never said that I liked Akon that way!!” A random thought occurred to her then, and the female Vizard started to glower ferociously at her lover. “ _Wait_. Did ya think that I was two-timin’ ya?” she demanded next, starting to get furious that he thought so little of her.

 

Shinji did not hesitate. “No. I don’t believe that yer capable of that, Hiyori.” She was too loyal and proud to sneak around that way, and he did trust her. He just did not know what to make of her uncharacteristic, continuous evasion of him – she had _never_ done anything like that before – and coupled with her recent close association with another man, Shinji was understandably… _concerned_.

 

Okay, so he was jealous as all hell, and who could blame him?

 

The Shinigami Captain frowned slightly then, registering his lover’s words. “But ya like him, or at the very least, ya implied that ya do,” he pointed out.

 

Hiyori looked like she wanted to hit him then. “Well, I don’t dislike Akon,” she snapped, starting to get really peeved with this interrogation session. “We hang out and he gives me food and he also lets me kick him ‘round – what’s there ‘ta dislike?”

 

Shinji stiffened again, this time with visible outrage. “He lets ya kick him ‘round?” the fine-haired blonde repeated, his features darkening. He frowned fiercely at her. “Ya do know that the boy likes ya, right?”  
  
Hiyori shrugged carelessly. “I’m awesome, of course people will like me and wanna be ‘round me,” she bragged, and he started to look exasperated. This little idiot; she had no idea at all. He should have known.

 

“Akon has romantic intentions towards ya,” Shinji replied sharply. “Hangin’ ‘round ya, feedin’ ya, and lettin’ ya beat on him – he’s givin’ in ‘ta ya because he’s sweet on ya and is interested in courtin’ ya.”  
  
The Gobantai Taichou would know, having gone through the exact same motions with his lover before, and therefore he was hardly pleased that someone else was trying the same approach with her. Hiyori, to her credit, looked rather surprised by Shinji’s flat statement.

 

“…Wait. What? Akon like- _likes_ me?” The pigtailed female was briefly bewildered that such a thing could happen. She was completely nonplussed by the idea. Then, another thought swiftly occurred to her, and she blurted out. “Oh. Does that make him my ‘first love’ now?”  
  
Shinji was not amused. “ _No_ ,” he snapped. “He’s not yer anything,’ so don’t start gettin’ any ideas.” Before she could frown and point out how unfair it was that he had his ‘loves’ but not her, he continued. “I’m yer first love and yer last love. I’m also yer only lover, so like I said, yer stuck with me.”

 

He was very determined to impress that fact upon her. Not that he actually believed that she would try anything untoward, but Hiyori possessed a curiosity that was like a cat’s – unbound and somewhat, inadvertently, destructive. Also, at the same time, she could be quite unguarded and easily impressionable about certain matters as well, and therefore he could not help but _worry_.

 

Hiyori glowered at Shinji. She looked like she was about to protest for the sake of protesting as usual, but he cut her off before she could actually do so – while he didn’t mind her argumentative nature most of the time, the current topic was not up for discussion at all and her dogged persistence in discussing it was needling him something fierce.

 

Narrowing his eyes sternly at her, he demanded. “What else are ya hidin’ from me, Hiyori?” Shinji hadn’t missed the fact that she was indeed concealing something from him. If it wasn’t the matter with Akon like he had originally assumed, then it was definitely something else, something big enough to merit her unusually evasive behavior towards him recently. Sure enough, Hiyori quickly clammed up once again, and she immediately scrambled to get away. Unfortunately for her, he still had a firm hold over her, and he took advantage of it to quickly flip her onto her back on the mattress beside him. Then, he simply held her down; it was not a difficult thing to do once he put his mind into it – she was small in size and he was very strong, after all.

 

“Damn baldy!” she yelled, her face becoming flushed with agitation as she tried to wiggle lose from his hold but to no avail. “Leggo!”

  
“No,” he denied her flatly. “Now, spill. Why’ve ya been avoidin’ me recently?” She looked rather stubborn and determined to keep her silence, and so he continued. “We can do this the hard way or we can do this the easy way. Either one ya choose, we’re gonna be gettin’ this sorted out today, so ya might as well just give in already and tell me the truth.”  
  
If anything, Hiyori’s expression just turned even redder, and a look of increasing desperation crossed her freckled features. Her reaction was rather alarming – what on earth could have spooked her off so badly??  

 

“Hiyori, what’s wrong with ya?” he asked, and then a disquieting thought occurred to him. Shinji’s fingers went up to touch her face, and he started to look worried. “Are ya not feelin’ well or somethin’? Do ya need ‘ta see a doctor?”

 

He was clearly fussing over her again, but this time, his genuine concern struck a deep chord in her. He had been quite unhappy with her earlier, but he was more than willing to put that aside to care for her wellbeing instead. She had been doing her best to avoid him too, and even though it wasn’t her intention, she had upset, and maybe even hurt, him in the process. And yet here he was now, and something in Hiyori’s gut clenched.

 

The petite female shook her head quickly, refusing all of his offers of assistance. He was leaning over her still, and she took advantage of his position to reach up and grab him by his haori. She pulled him down, and then determinedly pushed him onto his back and crawled on top of him instead, unceremoniously curling up on his chest and burying her face in the side of his neck. Truly, only he could convince her to drop her guarded and wary demeanor so quickly and instantaneously. Immediately, his familiar presence, his comforting scent and warmth surrounded her, soothing her agitation.

 

“I’m not sick,” she mumbled against him, her voice so soft that he nearly missed the words. “Yer drivin’ me crazy, dumbass.”  
  
Shinji was taken aback by the abruptness of her action and admission, and he also wasn’t quite sure what to make of her strange words. But she wasn’t trying to get away from him anymore, so he simply remained as he was, non-threatening and patient, waiting for her to explain herself. His arms came up around her to hold her, and she tensed slightly before she slowly relaxed into his embrace. He started to rub her back, and she eased further. Her fists clenched into the lapels of his black shihakusho.

 

“Talk ‘ta me,” he told her simply. She was so jittery and nervous, like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs, and he just wanted to calm her down.

 

“Ya scare the hell outta me,” she confessed after a while of silence. He paused briefly, surprised by her unexpected reply. He was tempted to ask what she meant, but in the end, he decided not to interrupt and just resumed stroking her, keeping his silence as he just let her speak her mind. “I can’t fight ya. Yer gonna hurt me real bad one day.”

 

Shinji continued to caress her back.

 

“Yer gonna kill me,” she somberly predicted with absolutely certainty. “Rip my heart right outta my chest and take it with ya as ya go, and I- I won’t survive.”

 

She was still speaking into his neck, studiously not looking at him at all. “I don’t like this at all. I hate it,” she muttered. “I want it ‘ta stop – yer screwin’ with my head and I hate it. Yer slowly turnin’ me into someone I don’t recognize – yer makin’ me weak, dammit!”

 

She really detested this aspect of their relationship – he made her feel so vulnerable, and for someone like her, who had spent all of her afterlife clawing her way up from the pits of Rukongai, struggling to become stronger, this was utterly terrifying. She started to quiver in his arms, and the urge to pull away from him and conceal her soft, exposed underbelly like an animal was overwhelming.

 

He did not allow her retreat however – so this was why she had been so spooked recently. Just like that, the rest of his earlier tension and displeasure flowed away. 

 

“Hiyori,” Shinji sighed her name softly, turning his head to hers to lightly kiss her ear. “I’ll let ya in on a secret – ya make me weak too.”

 

She immediately lifted her head to scowl at him. “ _Lies_ ,” she hissed, bristling and visibly offended. “Yer strong and I bet yer never scared of anythin’.”

 

He looked at her like she was being ridiculous, but there was a soft light in his eyes.

 

“Yer wrong,” he told her honestly. “I’m just a man, luv – I feel the same things as ya do.”

 

She looked like she wanted to protest, but he continued to speak, looking at her calmly and steadily as he did so.

 

“Ya already hold my heart in the palm of your hands,” he told her rather tenderly and solemnly, soothing her as best as he could. “I’m pretty sure that I’d die first before I even try ‘ta do anythin’ ‘ta hurt ya.”

 

His words were wry, but she easily sensed his sincerity. Frozen, she could not seem to speak in reply for a while, and ended up tucking her face back against the side of his neck once more, her grip on him tightening slightly as she did so. He did not force the issue, pleased that she seemed to have received his message loud and clear, and he lifted a hand to stroke her hair absently. The quiet peace and innate understanding flowing between them at the moment contented him, and he was more than happy to remain as he was with her curled on top of him.

 

It was a long while before Hiyori spoke again, and she raised her head to look him in the eye.

  
“Shinji?”

 

Her voice was slightly nervous, but quite obviously lacking her earlier panicked distress. She sounded braver now, more determined, her stubborn, fiery spirit flowing back into her body once more.

 

“Yeah?”

 

She swallowed hard, gathered up all of her courage, and then she blurted out.

 

“I…I-I l-love ya.”

 

Her voice was uncharacteristically timid and soft, her tone trembling with fear, cracking towards the end as she forced out the words that had been sitting in her mouth for all these while, but to Shinji, it was the most beautiful sound in the world.

 

His golden eyes darkened as he looked at her tensed features – she never did very well when it came to such emotional matters, but now she was confronting it for him, and that already told him how important he was to her, to merit such special consideration from her. In that single wobbling, unsteady, sentence, she had finally acknowledged her bond to him, trusting enough in him to offer up her heart to him for safekeeping, even though she was obviously so shaken by the experience.

 

Hiyori was not someone who would give herself up easily or even willingly put herself in a vulnerable position – she must have been agonizing over this for a while already, and the fact that she obviously took these three words – _this commitment to him_ – so seriously touched him very much.

 

She was just so damn _sweet_ , and he quickly found himself mesmerized by her special brand of charm once again.

 

Shinji tugged her down to him and kissed her gently on the mouth.

 

“ _Mm_. I know. I love ya too, brat.”

 

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

 

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

Getting Hiyori to finally spit out those three words was seriously harder than herding a bunch of cats _and_ pulling teeth, at the same time. I’m glad that’s done and over with, though the misunderstanding part of this arc had been really fun to write.

Longwinded, conciliatory smut sequence coming up next chapter, I guess.

Thanks for sticking with me still, and thanks for reading!

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

\--paws


	37. The Hardest Words - Part IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

 **Author:** paws_bells

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

 **Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

 **Word Count:** 2909

 **Rating:** T (Contains content not suitable for children)

 **Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 17/07/17

* * *

**The Hardest Words – Part IV**

* * *

Hiyori stared at Shinji for the longest while. The expression on her face was not that of a blushing maiden in love, but rather, the petite female looked like she was suffering from a really bad case of indigestion instead.

“What do ya mean, ‘ya know?’” she demanded then, frowning slightly at him as she did so. “How could ya know? I’ve never confessed before!”  
  
Technically, she had. She just happened to be completely out of her usual frame of mind when she had done so, so inebriated that she did not even remember the things that she had done – or said – during her alcohol induced haze when she woke up the next morning. Seeing that it had taken her conscious self so much effort and courage to just blurt out those three words, Shinji didn’t think that she was going to appreciate the fact that her more openly affectionate subconscious had already jumped the gun and declared her undying adoration and devotion to him a couple of years back.

The Gobantai Taichou sighed, and then he curled his arms around his annoyed lover and tugged her close. She was starting to bristle, as if personally affronted by his knowledge of her (supposedly) well-guarded secret.

“I’m not blind. Or deaf. Or completely oblivious,” Shinji uttered exasperatedly. “Even though ya never say the words – _I know_.”

She scowled at him then, her forehead twitching something fierce. The visibly irritated female immediately freed a small fist to punch him in the shoulder. Shinji winced – as always, Hiyori never saw the need to control her strength when it came to him. “If ya already knew, why didn’t ya just say so!!” she yelled at him, growing increasingly red faced with displeasure. “Ya would have saved me the trouble of confessin’ in the first place!”

The larger Vizard caught her hand before she could have another go at him – this time aiming specifically for his head. He grunted slightly when she kicked him in the ankle then, and at last he quickly switched their positions and pinned her under him. “Okay, first of all, I had no idea this was what ya’ve been agonizin’ ‘bout – ya’ve been avoidin’ me like the plague for the past few weeks, remember? I may be highly perceptive, brat, but I ain’t omniscient.”

She was still glowering at him though, and he continued, his tone lowering even as he leaned in and nuzzled her cheek at the same time. “‘Sides, just ‘cause I know doesn’t mean that I don’t wanna hear the words right from ya mouth.”

Hiyori started to turn a darker shade of crimson. “I’m not gonna say it again,” she blurted out, sounding quite agitated. “I’m never gonna say it again, so ya better have heard it loud and clear just now, ‘cuz it ain’t happenin’ again!”

She was obvious flustered and highly embarrassed from showing this vulnerable side of her, literally presenting her heart up on a silver platter for him to do as he pleased, and she wasn’t enjoying it at all. Shinji could make an educated guess regarding just why she was so agitated, and before she could bluster some more, he lowered his head and kissed her.

“I love ya, Hiyori,” he told her affectionately and she sputtered. He did not allow her to pull away no matter how loudly she swore and struggled. The fine-haired blonde simply waited until she reluctantly settled back down, and then he caught her gaze with his.

“I. Love. Ya,” he repeated steadily, and if anything, his calm, even declaration just made her stutter even more. Whenever he was out of (what she dubbed as) his Idiot Mode, she usually had trouble dismissing him because when Shinji was serious, he was _dead serious_. “Yer neither a game nor a conquest ‘ta me, stupid. Our relationship’s not gonna end just ‘cause ya finally got ‘round ‘ta sayin’ those three words. I won’t deny that it’d please me ‘ta hear them from ya every now and then, though.”

He was so matter of fact about the whole thing but Hiyori was hardly impressed. The petite female was starting to feel a bit cornered, and the look in her eyes said as much.

“I won’t ever harm ya, ya know that, right?” he asked her. She was diligently trying her best to avoid his gaze, but with him so near, that was a futile effort at best. Mildly exasperated by her mulish behavior, he continued. “Do ya trust me, Hiyori?”

She glared at him.

“ _Yes_ ,” the feisty blonde spat out at last. “I trust ya. But I’m also gonna punch ya straight in the face if ya don’t stop buggin’ me, ya shitty baldy!”

He was aware that she would totally make good on her threat if pushed hard enough, but this time, he was not backing down.

“Good. At least that’s one less thing for me ‘ta worry ‘bout,” he told her, and then, much to her outrage, he proceeded to invoke a restraining Kido spell that immediately caused her arms to be snapped up and over her head on the bed, her wrists bound together by his reiatsu. The pure, energy bonds did not hurt her, but when she tried to break free by forcing the issue and flaring her spiritual energy, he simply matched her brute pressure with his own. It didn’t take her long to understand that the reiatsu ties were still actively connected to him – which meant that unless he willed it, she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Damn hage!” she hissed indignantly, still tugging fiercely on the bonds even though she knew just how futile the act was. “What the hell do ya think yer doin’?!!”

Her idiot lover merely eyed her carefully and made sure that she was indeed firmly secured (and literally fit to be tied, pun fully intended) before replying. “Well, brat, I don’t know what yer so scared of-” 

“I’m not scared of anythin’!!” she burst out angrily, baring her sharp little fang and interrupting him rather abruptly. He ignored her and simply continued to speak.

“-but that’s definitely not the way ‘ta go, so let’s try ‘ta get a handle on it-”

“There’s nothin’ ‘ta ‘get a handle on!!’” she insisted, growling with frustration even as she was still flopping about like a landed fish. It was obvious that she was going to be as difficult about it as she could, but since she was currently stuck and unable to flee or retaliate, she was just going to have to go along with his suggestion. Or rather, direction.

“Yer afraid of love because ‘ta ya, that’s a weakness – somethin’ negative,” Shinji observed then, much to Hiyori’s outrage. “That ain’t right at all, so we’re gonna have ‘ta change that faulty thinkin’ of yers.”  
  
“ _Shinji_. I swear ‘ta god!!!” the petite female yelled, becoming increasingly agitated as she did so. Her current immobility (and general inability to strangle her other half) was also pissing her off something fierce “STOP FUCKIN’ PSYCHOANALYZING ME. AND LEMME GO ALREADY, SHITHEAD.”

“Luckily, there’s this thing called positive reinforcement – we’ll try that and see how it goes,” Shinji announced nonchalantly, disregarding the venomous glare that the tiny blonde was shooting at him. “It’s called the ‘Carrot and Stick’ approach.”

She immediately made a very disgusted expression.

“I HATE carrots – do I look like a dumb herbivore rabbit ‘ta ya?!! And what are ya gonna do? Beat me with a stick?!” she demanded. “Are ya gonna torture me or somethin’?”

He looked briefly appalled by her mistaken assumption. “ _No_. I’m not gonna beat or torture ya – that’s an idiom, stupid.”

She glowered at him. “Stupid, stupid- Stop callin’ me stupid, ya stupid!!”

“…That sounded really stupid,” he deadpanned at last, and she looked like she wanted to kill him then. “Alright, alright. Ya ain’t stupid. But you’d definitely know what I was talkin’ ‘bout if ya read more than just manga.”

It wasn’t that Hiyori was illiterate – that was hardly the case at all. All Lieutenants, past and present, had to pass the basic literacy proficiency test to in order to handle the bureaucratic responsibilities of their respective Division. It was just that Hiyori had no particular love for books, especially the really wordy ones. Books were _boring_ , and when she had served as Kisuke’s Fukutaichou, she had been forced to read her share of scientific journals and research materials, and the subjects had been so dull and dry that the brunette had been thoroughly traumatized by the horrid experience. She wasn’t going to touch any damn book any more than strictly necessary, thank you very much.

“Anyway, ya know that cartoon where the cart driver would tie a carrot on a string ‘ta a long stick and dangle it in front of the donkey, just outta its reach? The cart driver’s offerin’ the carrot as a positive reward ‘ta the donkey so that it’d be willin’ ‘ta move and pull the cart – that’s the basis behind the ‘Carrot and Stick’ approach,” Shinji explained. “The other one, the ‘Carrot or Stick’ approach is different – it refers to a policy of offering a combination of rewards and punishment ‘ta induce behavior-”

“I don’t give a shit!” she cut him off belligerently before he could finish. “I don’t wanna do it!! Leggo!!”

Then, Hiyori stiffened with outrage as she finally registered what Shinji had just said. “WHO ARE YA CALLIN’ A DONKEY, YA ASS?!!”

She was so offended by his commentary that her reiatsu spiked, and her lover had to drastically increase the strength of his bonds to keep her from breaking free. She hissed at him like an angry feline, and when she tried to kick out at him too, he deftly trapped her legs beneath his own.

“How dare ya call me a donkey?!!” Hiyori growled. She looked dangerously angry, and just in case, Shinji wisely kept out of his lover’s strike range – she was terrifyingly adept at using her forehead to lash out at unsuspecting individuals (namely himself) whenever her hands were tied (this time literally), and her skull must have been made of solid steel, for it certainly felt like his forehead had collided with an incoming cannonball every time she nailed him with a headshot.

“I never called ya a donkey,” he retorted. “And besides, that was just an analogy.”

“Yeah, right, ya damn baldy! Where I’m the donkey and yer the cart driver – I ain’t dumb!!”

“No, ya certainly aren’t dumb,” Shinji muttered under his breath. “Yer just mulishly stubborn, is all.”

Unfortunately for him, his remark was hardly well received by the petite blonde. Her small face turned even more flushed with anger as her features scrunched up with unhappiness. “HAH! So ya finally admit it! Ya think that I’m like a mule - a donkey! Ya think yer too good for the likes of me now, aren’t ya? It’s because I finally said those words, isn’t that right?”

Shinji didn’t know how on earth she could make such ridiculous leaps of logic, but by now, he knew better than to ask. He was aware of what she was trying to do though, and if she thought that he was going to let her change the topic so easily, then she was going to be in for a big surprise.

“Ya know that’s not what I mean, brat,” he told her.

“Then what else could ya mean?” she snapped, her ochre eyes burning ferociously even though she was physically incapacitated. It was pretty apparent that she wasn’t going to calm easily, and, knowing her like he did, would likely do her best to raise hell now that her primary ‘flight’ option had been disabled by him. There was only one way to placate her now, it seemed.

Without saying anything more, he suddenly dropped his full weight on top of her, covering her slight figure with his own larger, rangy one and falling face first on her chest. She grunted at having to support his mass – he was heavy despite his lean build, his body lined with sleek, sinewy muscle that made him a lot stronger than he looked. Hiyori stiffened unhappily – she still had quite a beef that had yet to be settled with him, after all.

However, before the smaller blonde could re-gather her displeasure and aim them at him once more, he suddenly spoke up.

“I’m an ass,” he abruptly declared then, and his random remark worked enough to make her pause slightly in confusion.

_Huh??_

He shifted slightly and turned his face up to look at her visibly bewildered features.

“If yer the donkey, then I’m the ass, alright?” he elaborated. “So that makes us a matchin’ pair.”

She gaped at him stupidly for a while before her brow started to knit together once more. She was hardly appeased by his reply.

“DON’T CHANGE THE SUBJECT. YA STILL CALLED ME A DONKEY, YA DICKHEAD,” she screeched.

Okay, perhaps this wasn’t his brightest idea, but now that he had started it, there was no choice but to see it through. 

“Yeah, but yer a really cute ‘lil donkey,” Shinji told the bristling female, attempting to appeal to her vanity. She hissed at him indignantly. Okay. Still no dice. “Will it help if I remind ya that ya hold my heart in yer hands?”

“Go ‘ta hell,” she snapped at him, but at the same time, she seemed to be subsiding in her fury, her tone more bluster than bite, and she was also diligently avoiding his gaze again. His brat could be so ridiculously adorable sometimes, he thought fondly, and now was one of those moments. Shinji briefly calculated his chances and decided that he had more than a fair probability of getting away with what he was about to do next.

Tilting his head slightly, he brought his face to the side of her neck and laid a kiss on her clavicle. She stiffened, but he paid her no heed, nuzzling her demonstratively instead. He brushed his mouth softly against her skin, then parted his lips and gently nipped at her. She jumped at the sensation, but when his tongue darted out to lazily flick against the little red mark that he had just put there, she shuddered and could not quite seem to keep a squeak from escaping her mouth.

Shinji smiled into the side of her throat. He could not deny that her innate response to him was extremely flattering and reassuring all the same. The lean, handsome male pulled back slightly and looked down at her beloved, flushed features.

“Yer utterly lovable, Hiyori,” he told her affectionately, and the tiny female sputtered like a dying engine. His lips curled into a small smirk. “Shall we play a ‘lil game?”

The smaller female was immediately wary of his deceptively innocent drawl. “I don’t wanna,” she blurted out at last, growling somewhat as she did so. “Yer games suck.”

She never won whenever they played any of his stupid games, anyway. Actually, come to think of it, she wasn’t really sure if there were even any winners at all; they usually got so distracted towards the end that- never mind. 

And right now, Hiyori was very sure that she was not in the mood to be _distracted_ at all.

“My games do not suck,” Shinji replied, looking briefly offended. “Yer just a sore loser, is all.”

“I’M NOT,” she snapped back. Grinning slightly, he brought his face nearer to hers and evenly challenged.

“Prove it.”

“Yer on,” she barked in return, only to belatedly realized that she had just been had. Her indignant feline eyes snapped up to his. “Just wait a fuckin’ minute-”

He didn’t wait, of course, merely reached over and kissed her deeply. A muffled protest escaped her throat, but he was occupying her mouth so thoroughly that she couldn’t get the words out. When he pulled back, she was flushed and her lips were red, and she was trying to scowl at him but failing. He chuckled softly.

“Shinji, ya damn lousy shithead-” she started, only for him to silkily interrupt.

“A deal’s a deal, luv,” he reminded her amusedly, but she was hardly as jovial.

“Ya tricked me,” she accused. “And this is one of yer schemes again, ain’t it? That stupid ‘positive reinforcement’ thing-” Hiyori’s brow started to furrow. “Wait, isn’t that for trainin’ dogs?”

“I don’t know what yer talkin’ ‘bout,” he quickly cut her off before she could say anymore. “Anyway, the rule for this game is real simple. Every time ya say those three words, ya will be rewarded.”

Hiyori immediately stiffened. She could immediately guess what ‘those three words’ were. Her ochre eyes glared at him.

“No!!” she blurted out. “I ain’t playin’ this stupid game!! This is blackmail!!

He shook his head at her. “Hardly,” he replied with a soft scoff. “I don’t know who taught ya ‘ta think that it’s bad ‘ta love, but that person’s wrong – and their teachings suck. So consider this yer reeducation.”

Hiyori was sputtering once again, and she was also trying to wiggle free from her Kido bonds but to no avail. “I don’t need no stinkin’ reeducation! Damn baldy, who do ya think ya are! Let go!”

“Nuh-uh,” Shinji purred silkily, almost teasingly. “Yer subject ‘ta my tender mercies tonight, brat, and I’m not gonna be satisfied till I hear those words from yer mouth, again and again~”

* * *

_::tsuzuku::_

* * *

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

As promised on tumblr, here’s the next instalment! Sorry it took me so long, _ahhh_. I just really, _seriously_ hate the editing part before putting up my chapters so my procrastinating ass kept prolonging the inevitable, but I hope you enjoyed the ShiYori shenanigans, ahaha.

Poor Shinji – love hurts (literally), though I don’t blame Hiyori for whaling on him because his pickup lines were really terrible (so he kinda brought it on himself), lol.

As always, thanks for reading and supporting! Hope that you guys are doing well and still alive, yeah? :)

**xXxXxXxXxX**

Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

\--paws


	38. And Love Will Set You Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ShiYori ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

**Title:** Lily and Thistle

 **Author:** paws_bells

 **Characters/Pairing:** Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji

 **Type:** One-shot Collection (InComplete)

 **Genre:** Romance/Humor

 **Word Count:** 7519

 **Rating:** M (Contains content suitable for mature teens and older) **SMUT WARNING!!**

 **Disclaimer:** Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.

 **Summary:** ‘Say Please’-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.

 **Created on:** 01/11/13

 **Completed on:** 02/12/13

 **Chapter Last Revised on:** 07/12/17

* * *

**And Love Will Set You Free**

* * *

…He completely meant every word, Hiyori realized belatedly. Her struggles grew more frantic, but she was stuck like a bug caught in a sticky web, and that giant obnoxious spider also known as her significant other wasn’t going to let her go until he had sucked the soul right out of her.

“ _Shinji_ ,” the petite female growled then, still frustrated even though she was starting to resign herself to this unfortunate series of events, her resistance beginning to lessen. “Yer so gonna get it once I get outta this!” she threatened, giving him the evil eye as she did so. Much to her consternation, he was hardly intimidated by her promise.  
  
“Okay, but yer still gonna have ‘ta escape my bonds first,” he told her teasingly, and her scowl deepened. Damn it, he was right.

A soft laugh escaped him at her visibly trapped expression, and Shinji lowered his head to nuzzle her neck affectionately. “You’ve been drivin’ me crazy for the last couple of weeks, brat. Allow me ‘ta return the favor now.”

Hiyori was not thrilled at all to find herself in this predicament, but still, the young woman reluctantly submitted to her lover’s ministrations, allowing him to move in close to kiss and touch her with increasing intimacy, her blood quickening in her veins and her heart racing at his proximity. Much to her chagrin, she was unable to deny him, her body instinctively craving his. He brushed his lips against the side of her jaw, and then he leaned over to kiss her full on the mouth once more.

“I love ya, brat,” he told her once again, and she trembled at the rich, low timbre of his voice, so sure and calm in his declaration. Her glowing eyes met his, and she was weak to his words, her bristling form gradually subsiding as he continued to whisper softly to her. She looked agitated still (and quite skittish), but she was slowly calming down. Encouraged by her response, Shinji settled his larger form over her petite one once more and continued. “I’ve been waitin’ ‘ta hear those words from ya for a very long time, so indulge me this time, hmm?”

But still Hiyori was stubbornly clamping her mouth shut. She was also diligently trying to avoid his eyes, and so, chuckling, Shinji merely lowered his head and continued to softly kiss and nibble on her sensitive neck in a way that was calculated to fluster her, and very soon, the smaller blonde was reduced to a shivering mess under her powerful lover, squirming restlessly and biting back pleasured whimpers as he skillfully and deftly used that mouth of his on her. 

Normally fierce ochre was dazed as she stared vaguely ahead at the ceiling, her senses overwhelmed by the lean, rangy male stretched out on top of her like a large, lazy feline. His cologne and soothing musky scent enveloped her completely, and the heat radiating from him calmed her temper further and stirred the other side of her passions instead. The way his fine hair tickled her fair skin, raising goosebumps along its wake, the way his mouth slowly and sensually brushed alongside the dainty column of her throat, sending intense pulses of hyperawareness racing thrillingly down her spine – he suddenly nipped down hard on her tender flesh, and Hiyori jerked and whined shakily in response.

“ _H-Hage_ ,” she squeaked breathlessly as the golden-haired Captain continued to very attentively tend to the love bite that he had just left on her neck, flicking the rough pad of his tongue over it briefly before sealing mouth over her skin and suckling deliberately. Hiyori’s limbs went weak as arousal rushed through her body, though her arms were still firmly bound by Kido over her head and Shinji was so firmly situated between her legs that her movements were severely limited. By now, the petite female was no longer trying to escape from the amorous clutches of her lover – if anything, she was encouraging him with her naturally responsive demeanor, and was even starting to grow slightly impatient with how painstakingly slow his advances were towards her. He was driving her crazy with that mouth of his, concentrating all of his efforts on her neck – he hadn’t even laid his hands on her _yet_ , and already she wanted _more_.

The small female heaved her body up against her lover’s, tossing her head restlessly, her mouth parting, showing a glint of her tiny fang, as she gasped. Her slender legs drew up to his narrow hips, the insides of her thighs rubbing against his sleek waist, all but inviting his touch, but much to her increasing aggravation, she was promptly ignored.

“ _Shinji_ ,” she hissed disgruntledly.

Unfortunately for her, he was still not picking up on her cue at all. If anything, the other blond was more interested in leaving a nice, visible mark of his possession on her body and did not appear to be paying her demands a whit of attention. Once again, Hiyori tugged hopelessly at her bonds, and then she growled, sexually frustrated. He was such a bloody _tease_.

“Damn it,” the young woman snapped out then. “Are ya gonna make love ‘ta me properly or not, ya shitty baldy?!”

Shinji pulled back slightly, briefly inspecting the reddened bruise that he had left on the neck of his fiery lover. He was quite proud of his handiwork – the love bite was prominently situated enough that it was going to be difficult for her to hide, and surely any male who laid eyes on it would have enough common sense to immediately understand that she was already thoroughly claimed. However, just to be on the safe side, perhaps he should leave a few more on her – after all, it wasn’t as if he didn’t enjoy the act of marking her, not to mention, his ministrations also had the rather delightful side effect of turning her into a pile of quavering, aroused Hiyori-shaped putty under him.

Decision made, the Gobantai Taichou nudged Hiyori’s head to the side and promptly went back to work on her pristine, unmarred skin, much to her indignant squawks of protests, though even that quickly turned into shaky, pleasured moans once he expertly wore down her resistance. She was weak against him and he was shamelessly taking advantage of it, every shudder of her slight body and every tiny sound she made further pleasing him – as always, she was so wonderfully receptive to him, and her innate reaction filled him with masculine satisfaction. He was blatantly monopolizing her every thought right now, purposely making it such that there would be no room for anyone else but himself, and she wasn’t complaining – not too much, at least.

It wasn’t long before she was helplessly stuttering his name again, her voice shaking with lust and want as she instinctively called upon her lover to relieve the sharp ache of desire growing in her womb.

“Hmm?” Shinji merely hummed lazily as he continued to tend to yet another blossoming bruise on her neck. His golden eyes lifted to meet her glazed, frantic ones, gentling slightly as they did so. “Is there somethin’ that ya need from me?” he spoke huskily, provocatively. His lightly teasing tone made Hiyori glare at him, or at least she tried to do so, but was too ruffled to properly channel her displeasure.

“Yer not gettin’ off the hook this time till I hear the words,” he told her silkily, affectionately nosing her cheek and the line of her jaw. “ _Hi-yo-ri_. I. Love. Ya,” he enunciated slowly against her flushed skin. “ _Say it_.”

The tiny female was turning an intense shade of red, but Shinji was relentless.

After a long, _long_ , silence, at last, almost against her will, Hiyori started to cave.

“I…l-l-love…ya…” she gritted out shakily at last, sounding more forced and stiff than actually loving as she did so. However, her other half was _very_ happy with her stilted, nervous reply – she did not sound as anxious as the first time, having been successfully distracted by him – and he promptly rewarded her by finally laying his large, elegant hands on her straining, needy body.

“Good girl,” he purred in her ear, his long, narrow fingers slipping under the hem of her white tank top, lazily caressing the silky flesh over her taut stomach, the pad of his thumb slowly running along the scar that circled her middle. He was extremely demonstrative, generously showering his affection on her, his warm, callused hand stroking up over her lithe, toned torso and then laying possessively over her modest chest, displacing her shirt and pushing the fabric up around her small shoulders instead. She instinctively arched into his touch, a small, throaty moan slipping from her throat when those sinful fingers of his lightly plucked and pinched at her pink areola. Her breasts were small but incredibly sensitive, and the way he was rolling her puckered and beaded flesh between his thumb and forefinger made the liquid warmth growing in her lower belly bloom further – Hiyori whimpered and squirmed helplessly when he ducked his head and enveloped her other nipple in the moist heat of his mouth, suckling at her insistently and making her toes curl at the delicious sensation.

She was becoming increasingly aroused by his intimate attentions, and the young woman tugged uselessly at her Kido restraints again. Much to her frustration, he still wasn’t letting her go. Shinji flicked his pierced tongue against the tender pink bud that he had been diligently nursing from, and an incoherent sound of pleasure escaped his petite lover.

“Not yet, luv,” he spoke against her heaving chest, his voice silky with affection, nipping softly at the gentle valley between her breasts. He could feel her slight body trembling beneath his lips. “Again. Tell me again.”

This time, the words came a bit easier, in the increasingly thick haze of urgent lust and pressing desire.

“…I…l-love ya,” she breathed lowly, sexual need glowing in her eyes as she locked her gaze with his, and the increasing intensity of her declaration pleased him very much. He kissed her breasts with lusty affection, and she pressed herself into his mouth, her waiflike body all but wriggling under his with acute excitement, a breathless yelp escaping her when he tongued her a bit too roughly before biting down lightly on her sensitive nipple.

“ _Shit_ , S-Shinji,” she panted even as he reached up to lick and kiss her neck, deliberately attacking her weak spots. One of his hand crept down to her middle, his fingers briefly caressing the soft skin over her waist and lightly ghosting over the jut of her hipbone before slipping under the waistband of her track pants. He started to tug the fabric off of her singlehandedly, at the same time still distracting her with hungry, eager kisses along her shoulders and the slender column of her throat, and even though increasingly preoccupied and restless, Hiyori was more than willing to assist him in the removal of her clothes. At last kicking the heavy material away, she was left in a pair of plain, white panties, her slim legs completely naked, her tank top disheveled and bunched loosely around her neck so that he could have free access to her nubile body.

Shinji laid a large hand over her bare thigh, stroking the silky skin with feather light touches. His mouth trailed wet, languorous kisses up to the sensitive skin behind her ear, and then he took the tip of her earlobe into his mouth and gently nibbled. She shuddered, and those pianist’s fingers of his drifted further down between their bodies, hovering possessively over her panties before he slowly, deliberately started to touch her through the thin, cotton fabric. A tiny sound slipped from her, and Hiyori pulled roughly at her restraints once more, only for her lover to reach up and wrap one large, lean hand securely around her bound wrists, easily stilling her even as he continued to tease and pleasure her at the same time.

“Hiyori,” Shinji uttered her name in a husky rasp. “Yer absolutely delightful, ya know that, right?” Those long, sinful fingers of his drew slow circles between her trembling legs, the pads of his index and middle digits rubbing decadently against the pink bud of her clitoris through the material of her underwear. “Yer already becomin’ so slick and damp; yer makin’ me really excited as well, luv.” He was also languidly tracing the outline of her nether lips through the rapidly moist crotch of her panties – _up and down, up and down_ – until all she could think about was the sinful movements of his hand and how she desperately needed _more_.

“Dammit,” the young woman burst out angrily then, her face flushed with arousal and visibly frustrated. “Stop torturin’ me already!!”

It had been awhile since they had last made love, and Hiyori was chagrinned to realize that she had an extremely fierce need at the moment that only he could satisfy. Obviously he was aware of her intense sexual craving for him, for he was taking advantage of her weaker position and slyly demanding ridiculous things out of her, this bastard.

“I’m not tryin’ ‘ta torture ya,” he refuted her accusation, his tone so full of desirous affection for her that she could not help but to respond to it. Pulling back from her neck to look at her heated features, he grinned slightly, briefly flashing twin rows of his even white teeth before he ducked his head once more, this time to kiss her on the lips. She responded to him immediately, her mouth hungrily sucking at his with such enthusiastic, carnal fervor that he could only groan and nip at her lips before quickly withdrawing once more, much to her fierce growl of displeasure.

His golden eyes locked with her ochre ones. “Tell me what ya want, Hiyori,” he drawled silkily, and she glared at him.

“Ya bloody well know what I want,” she snapped irritably. “I want ya ‘ta stop teasin’ me and fuck me properly already.”

She was very moody and increasingly aggravated, but he was hardly put off by her sharp retorts. On the contrary, her agitation pleased him – the fact that he could fluster her so much made him feel pretty damn cheerful, actually – and Shinji continued to do his best to drive her out of her mind with lust. “Mmm, I wanna hear the magic words first.”

She tried to glower at him but was somehow unable to channel the full force of her frustration and displeasure at her dastardly lover. He still had his hand between her legs, his elegant fingers gliding all sorts of lewd patterns on her panties, directly over her sensitive, aching flesh, and the petite blonde simply could not take it anymore. This time, Hiyori all but spat out the words – there was hardly any hesitation anymore, in her haste to receive his attention as quickly as possible.

“I love ya, ya dickhead!” she all but yelled, visibly riled. “I must be stupid or somethin,’ but I love ya! Happy now?!”

Shinji’s lips twitched up at her testy reply. “Yes,” he purred huskily. “I’m _very_ happy ‘ta hear yer declaration, brat.”

He was completely genuine, and she could detect the pleasure in his rich tone. The sound of his voice made her anger subside as helpless arousal rushed through her once more, and as much as it infuriated her that he could so easily excite her, the rest of her just wanted his attention so damn badly that she did not care about everything else anymore. 

His fingers slipped under her panties then, and the feel of his callused digits finally in direct contact with her slick, needy flesh made her knees go weak. Her hips arched into his hand seemingly of their own accord, and a squeaky moan escaped her when he slid one long, slender finger into her eager body. He was driving her crazy as he slowly moved his hand between her shaking legs, and Hiyori strained desperately against her lover, her own hands curling into small fists over her head as the urge to touch him in return became nearly overwhelming. Hiyori raised her head and kissed the corner of Shinji’s mouth needily, her tongue darting out to swipe against his bottom lip before she drew his flesh into her mouth, suckling hungrily as she did her best to show him just how much she craved for him.

“Lemme loose,” she panted against his mouth, her feline eyes glowing with desire. “I wanna touch ya.” Even though her words had come out as a rough demand, her demeanor was unexpectedly docile as she nipped submissively at his jawline. Shinji growled lowly, weak to her demonstrative response, but he did not release her immediately.

“Dammit, Shinji,” Hiyori whined breathlessly, growing increasingly restless. “Do I have ‘ta beg again?”

“I don’t need ya ‘ta beg,” the lean, lanky male replied. “Ya know what I want, brat.”

Of course she knew. That damn L-word. If Hiyori had known that she would unleash such an insatiable monster in her lover, she would have chosen to keep her stupid mouth shut in the first place. But now was too late for regrets, and her cheeks flushed, and the slender female very softly mumbled out once more. “…I love ya – now will ya lemme go?”

“…I don’t know,” he said after a while, his tone deliciously low but slightly mischievous as well. “Ya don’t sound very passionate or lovin’ at all.”

Hiyori’s indignant response quickly turned into a whimpering moan when her lover lazily inserted a second finger into her body. Her gaze went briefly unfocused as he assaulted her senses with pleasure, his thumb lightly massaging her swollen clitoris even as he slowly moved his long, narrow digits in and out of her slick, grasping body. Hiyori bit her lips and tried to muffle the all too sexual sounds of carnal enjoyment mewling from her throat. Shinji’s eyes darkened as he watched her incredibly sexy, vulnerable appearance, her flaxen hair flowing messily around her small face, her rosy mouth kiss swollen and her cutely freckled cheeks flushed, her catlike eyes glowing with raw desire as they fixated on him.

“Hiyori,” he whispered huskily in her ear, curling his fingers inside of her and stroking her snug, shuddering flesh _thoroughly_. “Yer only allowed ‘ta show this arousin’ expression ‘ta me.”

The smaller female was barely coherent at this point – her lover could have asked anything of her and she would have frantically agreed, so long as he continued to lavish his sensual attention on her. Hiyori nodded tightly, and this time, she knew what else he wanted. Channeling the entirety of her chaotic, intense, all-encompassing feelings for him in a strong, powerful burst of spiritual pressure, the smaller blonde promptly radiated her feelings outwards in an concentrated surge of emotions, her gaze suddenly sharp, concentrating on him with unexpected ferocity.

“ _I love ya, Hirako Shinji_ ,” she boldly declared to him then, her ochre eyes blazing, riding so high on passion at the moment that her earlier jittery hesitation and tension were no longer influencing her demeanor. “Yer mine – my best friend, my lover, my man. Ya belong ‘ta me now – I won’t ever let ya go.”

There was nothing but absolute conviction in her fiercely possessive statement as she stared defiantly at him, and he said nothing for the longest while, a neutral expression on his face as he watched her back silently, intently studying her determined, beloved features. At last, Hiyori could not bear the suspense anymore, and the petite female quickly blurted out next. “So don’t even think of tryin’ ‘ta escape – it’s too late for second thoughts.”

His golden gaze softened slightly with affection then, and he leaned in, his mouth brushing against hers with utmost tenderness. “Maybe I won’t mind stayin’ caught by ya,” he murmured. “Silly brat, ya already had me hooked long before ya even knew it.”

Her eyes widened at his confession, and this time, when she tugged lightly at her restraints, he let her go – the Kido bonds had already served their purpose, after all. In an instant, the tiny female was on her lover, swiftly dislodging his fingers from her body and pushing him onto his back, straddling his waist and pinning him down onto the bed.

“S’your turn,” she demanded in a growl, leaning over him and pressing her small hands on his shihakusho clad chest. “Ya have been makin’ me say the words – s’not fair that ya only get ‘ta hear it from me.”

He was pleased by her sulky reply. Chuckling huskily, his own eyes dark with desire for her, he asked in a rich, teasing tone. “Only the words? Are ya sure that’s all ya want from me?”

She arched her small, girlish hips into his, deliberately rubbing herself against the unmistakable proof of his arousal. Her face flushed further, and a small gasp escaped her at the pleasurable friction that her action had created. She looked down at the lean, rangy male lying calmly under her, and her heated feline eyes locked with his.

“I want ya – _all_ of ya.”

Shinji smiled slowly. His hands reached up to wrap firmly around her slender wrists, and then he tugged lightly, pulling her down so that he could kiss her neck and jawline. Then, he licked at the shell of her ear, before he very softly, tenderly, whispered to her.

“ _I love ya, Sarugaki Hiyori_.” The quiet intensity of his intimate pledge made her shiver and also caused a warm feeling to grow within her at the same time. “Yer mine too.”

His steadfast avowal made her insides melt, and most importantly, it also made a heady flush bloom across her entire body. Hiyori bit her lips as she felt herself react solely to his words and the sound of his sinfully arousing voice – she craved him so badly right now. She immediately sat up once more and quickly pulled off her top, leaving her fair, slender torso completely bare. Tossing the white tank top carelessly over her shoulder, she leaned forward and started to claw his haori and shihakusho off of him, eager to feel his warm, firm flesh under her hands and hungry for the taste of his skin on her tongue. Her frantic, artless need for him was such a complete and utter turn on, and he found himself desiring her just as fiercely as well.

The fine-haired male pushed himself up on his elbows and helped his lover to undress himself. His Shinigami uniform was considerably more complicated than the modern attire of the Living Realm, and the little female quickly got frustrated with the ties and knots that kept her from her ultimate goal. Growling, she slipped her fingers under the lapels of his shitagi and roughly pulled it off of him together with his black kosode and white haori, ducking down to kiss, lick and bite at his sleek, firm pectorals even as her hands reached further down to fumble with the fastenings of his hakama himo. He groaned at her pleasurable assault, and then he sat up completely, reaching out one strong, leanly muscular arm to wrap around his lover’s waist and pull her even closer against him, sitting her firmly against his loins and making her emit a muffled moan in response. By then, he was in a complete dishabille and she was only clad in a pair of panties, but neither cared, completely focused on each other instead.

Hiyori managed to undo his hakama and quickly parted the fabric, delving past the folds of black cloth and his fundoshi to finally curl her fingers triumphantly around her prize. His hard, stiff arousal seared her palm with amazing heat and she immediately gave him an eager squeeze, eliciting a low, pleasured whine from his throat. The little blonde leaned in and nipped at the corner of her lover’s mouth.

“ _Mine_ ,” she boldly and assertively claimed, gripping him firmly in her small hands and flicking a nimble thumb over the sensitive head of his penis before very possessively and repeatedly stroking his velvety, rigid length from root to tip. “Mine,” she breathed against his lips once more, and he shuddered and surged his hips into her palms.

“Hiyori,” he groaned huskily, kissing her hungrily, not refuting her claim whatsoever. “ _Hiyori_.”

His little minx strained against him to kiss him back eagerly, all but squirming excitedly on his lap though when he reached out to touch her, his fingers delving under the waistband of her cotton panties to brush against the jut of her hipbone, she pushed his hand away. “I’m makin’ love ‘ta ya,” she informed him huskily. “Not the other way ‘round.”

Unfortunately for her, he did not quite agree with her remark. Catching her wrist with his own, he continued to kiss her lustily on the mouth before responding. “I think this experience will be more fulfillin’ if I’m participatin’ as well, luv,” he drawled silkily, his voice becoming deliciously rough and intimate as he continued. “ _I’m gonna be touchin’ ya all over tonight_.”

She shivered at his low, languid promise and swallowed hard, and this time, when his hand moved towards her underwear, she pressed her face into the side of his neck instead, wordlessly accepting his ministrations as he slipped under the tiny scrap of fabric to caress her bottom, his long fingers lightly pinching the firm flesh (and eliciting a soft, breathless yelp from her) before ghosting over the side of her hips and the gentle curve of her inner thigh. She was extremely sensitive there, and the callused pads of his digits made goosebumps break out all over her skin, and she trembled once again.

She continued to touch his stiff length eagerly, thin fingers curled around his erection and massaging him sensually at the same time as he touched her intimately as well, his own elegant, narrow digits gliding between the slippery, tender flesh between her slender legs. A tiny gasp escaped her at the ensuing pleasure. Her eyes slowly glazed over, and she abruptly released him to wiggle even closer on his lap, pushing his hand away once again. “S-Shinji,” she hissed then, their loins touching as she pressed needily against him, her arm snaking around his neck to hold herself even closer to him, straddling him even tighter. The petite blonde rocked impatiently against her lover, her breathing quickening at the sinful friction. She lifted her head to look at him, her face pink, her mouth parted slightly, flashing her tiny fang as she panted softly. Her feline eyes pierced his. “I want ya. I fuckin’ want ya _now_.” 

She did not wait for him to give her an answer. Kneeling with him between her legs, she immediately stretched up, one hand steadying herself on his shoulder, and the other reaching down between their bodies to grab him. This time, he was the one to catch her hand and hold her away, tipping her backwards onto the mattress instead, following her down swiftly and covering her smaller body with his own. He was larger and heavier than she was, and her breath was briefly knocked out of her lungs as he settled over her like a large, sleek, predator, but she recovered quickly enough, arching fervently against him and wrapping her legs around his hips, her hands restlessly trying to touch him as much as he would allow it, all but frantically rubbing up against him like a cat in heat, desperate for sexual relief.

Shinji deftly caught her small wrists with one large, long fingered hand and pulled her arms up over her head, once again holding them there.

His other hand stroked her bare, lithe torso with exquisitely gentle but openly carnal affection, making her squirm and whimper, before reaching further downwards between her spread thighs and roughly pushing the crotch of her panties aside, revealing the slick pink flesh of her excited, seeping entrance. He mounted his petite lover, eager to join with her as she was with him, and she quivered under him with anticipation as he brought the tip of his rigid shaft to rest against her opening. The smaller blonde immediately tried to surge her hips against him to quickly take him inside of her, but he pressed her down onto the mattress with one large hand splayed over her lower belly, and she keened in frustration. Shinji’s golden head lowered as he nosed his brat’s flushed, freckled cheek demonstratively, brushing his lips against the side of her mouth.

“Tell me those words again, Hiyori,” he whispered, and this time, she no longer even hesitated.

“ _I love ya_ ,” she hissed, turning her face to his and kissing him passionately. In the privacy of her room, with only the two of them enclosed intimately together, Hiyori was slowly discovering the intoxicating freedom of being able to say those three words that she had always been so afraid to speak of for so long. However, when they were alone like this and Shinji was focused on her so intently, it actually made her feel really good to declare herself to him – it wasn’t stressful or nerve racking at all once she got over her initial reluctance and his obvious pleasure and approval were extremely gratifying and empowering. Admitting her feelings for him did not make her weak – on the contrary, she felt giddy with elation, and she was quickly learning that she enjoyed pleasing her lover thusly.

“I love ya. I love ya, I love ya, I love ya,” she repeated again and again, interspersing each of her wholehearted declaration with eager kisses all over his mouth, chin and chiseled jaw, being so unexpectedly affectionate that it was such a complete turn on for him. Shinji growled softly and moved his hand from the flat of her belly to her upper thigh, pulling her slender leg up over his hip and opening her wider for his lovemaking. He nudged against her slick folds and she immediately squirmed, her pupils dilating at the sensation, only to squeak with indignant protest when he paused again.

“Goddammit, _Shinji_ -!!” Hiyori burst out. “I may love ya, but yer _really_ pushin’ it-!!”

“Yeah,” he admitted huskily. “But yer stuck with me for good, so no take backs. I love ya, brat.”

He knew exactly how to say the words to make her go weak for him, inserting them with such casual intimacy that she could not help but to react innately to him. Hiyori trembled, and this time, as Shinji leaned in to kiss her passionately, he very slowly started to enter her eager, grasping body as well, the mushroomed head of his erection languidly parting her slick channel as he sheathed himself inside of her. His petite lover instinctively pressed herself even closer to him, her slender thighs riding up even higher against his narrow waist, a muffled whimper escaping her throat when he was finally hilted in her. Her tight, snug form immediately squeezed hungrily around him like a velvet fist, and when he slowly withdrew from her, her body immediately clung to him so persuasively that he groaned. He pulled nearly all the way out of her before deliberately sinking back in again, inch by painstaking inch, and she jerked helplessly under him when he filled her completely once more, pushing so deeply inside of her that she could feel him brushing up against the entrance of her cervix.

Hiyori moaned her lover’s name loudly, her hands coming up to his shoulders, her fingers curving into tiny claws as she dug them into the back of his haori, all but straining against him, trying to get him to _move_. He obliged her impatient demand, his lean flanks withdrawing from hers once more, then rejoining her like before, his speed slowly increasing, his thrusts becoming more deliberate and thorough as he settled low between her thighs and started to move in earnest.

“ _Nngh_ , Shinji,” she growled into his ear, her teeth clenched as she tried her best to keep up with him – each fierce surge of his hips pressing her deeper onto the bedspread. She struggled to hook her small ankles behind his narrow hips to keep him close, shuddering when he reached his hand down between their bodies to touch her intimately once more, his fingers slipping under her panties to rub against the tiny bud of her clitoris, and she arched into him with another passionate keen, her breaths coming in quick pants as she felt herself tensing up with the onset of a fast approaching orgasm – Shinji had been teasing her so much that it did not take further stimulation on his part to drive her over the edge. Her restlessness grew, and she became increasingly frenzied with every stroke of his sleekly muscular body. He drew her close and huskily whispered his love and adoration of her in her ear, and the words, coupled with everything else that he had been doing to her at the same time, was enough to make her lose control completely.

Convulsing helplessly under him, her snug, rippling passage clenched around his stiff length immediately, a tiny howl escaped her as Hiyori quickly met her climax. Her Shinigami lover immediately leaned over and covered her lips with his own in a scorching kiss, and she quickly latched onto him fervently, desperately sucking at his mouth even as her entire body shook from the force of her sexual release.

“G-God, I love ya,” she wheezed harshly, whining softly when he continued to move, pleasuring her further with his body.

“No, luv,” he purred teasingly in her ear. “Not god, Hiyori. _Me_.”

She would have glared at him if she wasn’t so busy trying not to get overwhelmed by their lovemaking. “Yer talkin’ too much, dumbass,” she panted. “Shut up and pay attention ‘ta me.”

His eyes darkened, looking at her so intently that their world simply narrowed down to just the two of them.

“I’ve _always_ been payin’ attention ‘ta ya, Hiyori.”   

His simple, earnest words, coupled with his tender ministrations, made her go wild. The petite woman could not seem to control her own reactions, her legs trembling as she wrapped them tightly around his lean hips, her waifish form curving up against him beautifully as she strained to take him fully inside of her. Every hard, powerful stroke of his body against hers made a tiny gasp escape her, and the ensuing, friction was simply, maddeningly, _delicious_. The female Vizard was trying her best not to be completely swept away by the unrelenting pleasure that her lover was giving to her, but he was making it next to impossible for her to do so.

“I love ya, Hiyori,” he told her again, desire and fierce need thickening his voice, his arm snaking around her tiny waist to tug her closer against him, his mouth lingering near the sensitive shell of her ear. The new position pulled her firmly under him, opening her up utterly to him, and when he thrust deeply into her body, she felt each and every single inch of him explicitly.

“I love ya,” he whispered again, softly, intimately, brushing his lips against the soft patch of skin below her ear. His movements slowed, became more languid and unhurried, but no less deliberate and thorough. “ _I love ya_.”

Hiyori moaned and struggled fiercely against him, raising her smallish hips hungrily to receive him better, the little mewls and grunts coming from her becoming increasingly frantic and passionate once more. He was driving her _crazy_.

“S-Shinji,” she stuttered breathlessly, their gazes meeting as she turned her head to his. Her feline, ochre gaze was luminous and dewy, seeming to shine with the light of a thousand suns. “I love ya too.”

That was it. Simple, quiet and filled with all the sincerity and love that existed for him within her small, tiny form. The stark honesty in her whispered confession was simply beautiful, and the tremulous expression on her sweet, freckled features, the hushed ecstasy in her voice, the way she looked only at him – he was going to remember this moment for as long as he lived.

Her cheeks were flushed with sensual affection and love, and she looked entirely too vulnerable and appealing as she stared up at him with her large passion hazed eyes. Hiyori slowly licked her reddened, swollen lips, made extra sensitive and tender by his kisses, and for one rare moment, she looked shy and embarrassed. “I w-want ya inside me- t-together-” she mumbled uncertainly at first before she regained her confidence and became bolder in her demand, reaching up slightly to kiss the side of his mouth and his chin. “Come with me.” 

His eyes dilated at her request. There was no need to reply her verbally. Leaning down, he proceeded to kiss her tenderly and languidly, slipping his tongue into her mouth to dance with hers, their lips clinging, rubbing, brushing against each other’s, their bodies pressed so closely together that there was not even a millimeter of space left between their torsos. Shinji rocked slowly against his lover, savoring the feel of her all around him, the tiny sounds she made, the way she looked, her scent – she was utterly beloved to him, and at that moment, as he leaned his forehead against hers and looked deeply into her eyes, it was apparent that she felt the same pull too, a near tangible connection that existed between them both.

The fine-haired blonde reached towards his back and gently pried Hiyori’s fingers from his shoulder, tangling his own with her instead as he laid their joined hands on the mattress. She clung onto him immediately, her passionate gaze fixed intently on him the entire while, and the intimacy was simply amazing. He kissed her again, and she responded with pure ardor, her body starting to quiver and tense anew as the intensity of their lovemaking started to overwhelm her once more.

“Shinji,” she gasped out once more, this time in mild alarm, trying to quell his sexually stimulating movements against her, doing her best to forestall the swelling tide of her orgasm – it was coming on too fast, and he wasn’t ready yet-

“Shh,” he hushed her, softly soothing her rising discontent. “S’alright, luv. Let go.”

“But yer not-” she shakily started out only for him to cut her off.

“I’m ready,” he told her huskily, his tone becoming deeper with his own rising passion, kissing her lips briefly. “I’ve been ready for a long time, Hiyori. _Come undone with me_.”

She trusted him – he had never led her wrongly in all the centuries that they had known each other, and he would not start now. Just like that, she put herself in his capable hands and stopped resisting the inevitable, and her wordless surrender and dependence on him were so completely satisfying that he felt himself reacting further to her – her body and soul, they were both his, and the knowledge was simply _intoxicating_.

Holding her close then, still joined intimately to her, he rolled them both onto their sides, tangling their legs together, the languid, sensual motions of his hips still unceasing against hers, and she was all that he could see, her flushed, needy features filling his immediate vision. Hiyori bit her lips, pressing up against her lover, her eyelids fluttering as her body responded more and more to his utterly irresistible actions, the carnal sensation of him filling her aching insides as he thrust in and out of her – she could not take it any longer. Her slender thigh that was draped over his started to tremble and jerk as her senses went into overdrive, her taut inner walls constricting and squeezing his rigid length helplessly, going haywire as pleasure inundated her entire being. She moaned his name softly as her body started to convulse, instinctively curling into his sleek rangy form, craving the intimacy of being held in his lean, muscular arms as they shared this intensely private moment.

The onset of her climax, the way she moved more urgently and feverishly against him as she was held in thrall by her own passion, quickly drove him to find his own release. It didn’t take much – teasing her and touching her and just being around her when she was so amazingly _affectionate_ were already more than enough to stoke his urge to be with her. The way her body was tightening around him, the rhythmic contractions of her inner walls clamping down helplessly around his length as her orgasm claimed her, they were more than enough – _she was more than enough_.

Surging deeply into her one last time and sheathing himself completely, he breathed out her name like a prayer even as he arched and felt his own climax overtake him, the experience so powerful that his vision blanked out for a brief moment from the quiet intensity of their lovemaking. He spilled his seed into her aching womb even as her body milked him eagerly for more of his essence, and for a long couple of minutes, neither spoke, their breathing quick and erratic as they simply gazed upon each other.

Once Shinji regained himself, he immediately pulled his lover under him once more, still intimately joined to her. Leaning in, he kissed her passionately and fiercely, overwhelming her with his affection before slowly pulling back to look at her. She looked beautifully dazed, her beloved features flushed and thoroughly loved, and at that moment, Shinji only had one thought in his mind. He immediately demanded.  
  
“Marry me, Hiyori.”

It took her a while to process what he had just said. Her catlike eyes immediately focused on him, and she appeared momentarily stunned.

Even though this wasn’t the first time that he had hinted of marriage – he had mentioned something to that effect when she had first given herself to him – this was definitely the first time that he was being so direct and outright asking her to marry him. The ecstatic high from their lovemaking was starting to fade a little, and Hiyori hesitated, looking a bit uncertain as she stared up upon Shinji’s intent features; this wasn’t a vague proposal made in that lighthearted way like last time – _he was perfectly serious this time_.

Marriage was something that was so _permanent_. For beings like them who were so long lived, it might as well be a commitment that would last an eternity. With the wrong partner, it could mean a very long time of anguish and heartache…but-

 _But_ …if it was with the right one – one whom she loved deeply and who clearly loved her back in equal measure, if not even more – then a union like that could result in an infinite lifetimes’ worth of bliss and happiness.

And Hiyori loved her dumbass baldy. And Shinji loved his monkey brat.

The smaller blonde was flushed in the face as she _tried_ to look away from her significant other. She did not succeed obviously, as it was impossible to actually do so when he was so near, not to mention, she had never been able to ignore him, from the moment that they had first met centuries ago, till now.

“I-Idiot,” she stuttered out at last, her small hands coming up to shove halfheartedly at his chest, blustering a lot as she did so. “The hell do ya think yer sayin’? I already told ya, if yer gonna ask, ya better do it properly-”

“I will,” he told her, his lips quirking up slightly at her obviously flustered demeanor. “On one bended knee, with a ring in hand, with the sun setting in the background, all the romance ya want. Yer gonna belong ‘ta me, luv, so consider this fair warnin’.”

She felt herself warm even further at his words. Hiyori had to stop herself from blurting out that she didn’t really need all the other frills and trappings – his sincerity and love were all that she had really wanted from the very beginning.

“…Maybe I won’t mind belongin’ ‘ta ya,” she mumbled, echoing his sentiments from earlier, before she quickly added. “Don’t get any ideas, baldy – that’s not a yes…yet…”

His smile widened at her typically tsundere response, and he had to bite back a chuckle at her gruff reply. “Yeah, well, but I’m not hearin’ a ‘no’ either. So, what are yer thoughts of a spring weddin’?”

She made an indignant, muffled sound at the back of her throat then, starting to scowl at him. “Listen here, ya- Don’t push yer luck!”

He really did laugh aloud then, delight and pure elation apparent in his low tenor. She could not be angry at him when he was like that, and his gaze was nothing but full of affection as he looked at her.

“I do love ya, brat.”

“I know.” Hiyori’s face reddened.

“…I love ya too, dumbass.”

* * *

_::owari::_

* * *

** Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask: **

I can’t believe this long ass, ridiculously mushy smut came outta me. If all that rampant fluff gave you cavities, join the club!

Though in my defense, this particular mini arc happened very late into this pair’s already established relationship, so I suppose _some_ leeway in terms of intimacy is expected, lol. Getting Hiyori to cooperate was seriously harder than trying to pull teeth, haha. Shinji really should not expect more of such casual declarations of love coming from Hiyori anytime soon – this chapter’s amount of ‘I love yous’ is probably enough to cover the next five hundred years, going by Hiyori’s standards! :D

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Anyhow! I’m glad to see this arc finally to its end! The next update will be the beginning of another new story arc. :) 

Hope that all of you are doing well!

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Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!

\--paws


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